Opinion In America Democracy Can Simply Be Bought by the Billionaires HEAD TOPICS

Opinion In America Democracy Can Simply Be Bought by the Billionaires

10/21/2022 9:49:00 PM

Tech billionaire Peter Thiel' s ' power shows what Citizens United has done to our democracy '

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Common Dreams

Tech billionaire Peter Thiel's 'power shows what Citizens United has done to our democracy.' Tech billionaire Peter Thiel's 'power shows what Citizens United has done to our democracy.' "SinceCitizens United, just 12 mega-donors, eight of them billionaires, have paid one dollar out of every 13 spent in federal elections." With three weeks to go until Election Day, outside groups have already spent some $1.3 billion to influence the outcome of the midterms. Thiel's nearly $30 million in donations account for only a fraction of that nearly unbelievable total, but he represents a very specific kind of influencer. As my colleague Chisun Lee told the Guardian,"SinceCitizens United, just 12 mega-donors, eight of them billionaires, have paid one dollar out of every 13 spent in federal elections." Billionaires are sponsoring candidates like prized racehorses. The situation is worrying—exceedingly worrying—but not unprecedented. During the Gilded Age, moneyed corporate interests held incredible sway over our government. Senators who represented the copper-rich state of Montana, for example, were referred to as"representing copper" rather than representing their constituents or the state itself.  Copper magnate William A. Clark bought himself a seat in the Senate by plying the state's legislators—who, at the time, elected U.S. senators—with massive financial gifts. Once Clark's corrupt practices were revealed, his 1889 opponent (also, revealingly, a copper magnate) worked to have him removed from Congress. Clark came back in 1901, defeating—you guessed it—another wealthy mine owner to win a Senate seat. Read more:
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You’ve been being threatened for years and make Jew jokes all the time but this is “scary” ? Not sayin ye right but since when has he been violent enough to scare people media tryna paint weird pics would’ve been better if they said “appalled “ smh This guy is a fed Review: ‘Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk’ and ‘Peter Grimes’ were masterpieces at the Met OperaOperas by Shostakovich and Britten probe tortured psyches in dysfunctional societies. has done to our democracy.former President Donald Trump ) chisel their way into the social media market, it’s even more urgent to assess the power and influence that’s consolidated at the top levels of these companies.By.Unanimous Media , and Nicks and Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media. "Since Citizens United , just 12 mega-donors, eight of them billionaires, have paid one dollar out of every 13 spent in federal elections."  With three weeks to go until Election Day, outside groups have already spent some $1. And just as we have little reason to believe Mark Zuckerberg or Jack Dorsey are truly acting with the public’s interests in mind, we have no reason to trust that West will use Parler in a way that will make it any less destructive, nor Musk with Twitter, Thiel with Rumble, or Trump with Truth Social.3 billion to influence the outcome of the midterms. Thiel's nearly $30 million in donations account for only a fraction of that nearly unbelievable total, but he represents a very specific kind of influencer. To the surprise of no one, this means far-right disinformation-peddling voices will benefit. As my colleague Chisun Lee told the Guardian ,"Since Citizens United , just 12 mega-donors, eight of them billionaires, have paid one dollar out of every 13 spent in federal elections. The project joins an upcoming slate of sports-centric projects from Apple that also includes a feature doc on seven-time Formula One world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton and the docuseries The Dynasty about the New England Patriots, from Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries, in association with NFL Films. "  Billionaires are sponsoring candidates like prized racehorses. ” Even the ostensibly “responsible” social media platforms have consistently neglected to act on glaring problems until facing media scrutiny, threats of regulation, or risks to their profits. The situation is worrying—exceedingly worrying—but not unprecedented. During the Gilded Age, moneyed corporate interests held incredible sway over our government. While some platforms insist they’re a force for good—stating their commitments to free speech, enabling democracy, or other laudable pursuits—ownership is made up of flawed individuals who wield disproportionate influence. Senators who represented the copper-rich state of Montana, for example, were referred to as"representing copper" rather than representing their constituents or the state itself.  Copper magnate William A. Researchers of misinformation and extremism have pleaded with the heads of these companies for years to be allowed to access internal data, so that they can more accurately diagnose problems. Clark bought himself a seat in the Senate by plying the state's legislators—who, at the time, elected U.S. Parler’s web traffic pales in comparison to other alternative platforms, let alone major ones, and it is unlikely that West will be able to attract and sustain enough users to the platform to meaningfully enhance its status in the broader social media ecosystem. senators—with massive financial gifts. Once Clark's corrupt practices were revealed, his 1889 opponent (also, revealingly, a copper magnate) worked to have him removed from Congress. That said, West and Parler are a suitable match for the moment. Clark came back in 1901, defeating—you guessed it—another wealthy mine owner to win a Senate seat. The citizens of Montana finally took their government back in 1912, enacting a law that barred corporations from intervening financially in elections. That law stood for a century, until the Supreme Court struck it down as inconsistent with Citizens United .