Campaign donation limits look strict. Super PACs can make those limits feel almost meaningless.
James Harrigan and Antony Davies join Josh Martens to debate who really controls American elections: donors, politicians, parties, or voters.
How much does it cost to win a House or Senate seat? The Words and Numbers hosts explain individual contribution limits, candidate committees, political action committees, independent expenditures, and the unlimited spending available through super PACs.
The conversation examines campaign finance, political incentives, the Thomas Massie race, outside spending, foreign influence, publicly funded elections, mandatory voting, gerrymandering, the Republican and Democratic duopoly, and the direct election of senators.
The uncomfortable conclusion might be that campaign money is only a symptom. When government has enough power to sell favors, people will spend enormous amounts trying to control it.
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Chapters
00:00 James Harrigan and Antony Davies Join GML
02:00 The Thomas Massie Race and Outside Spending
03:30 What American Elections Really Cost
05:45 Campaign Money, Speech, and Property Rights
07:15 Are Voters Responsible for Selling Their Votes?
10:15 Unlimited Government and the Rise of Oligarchy
13:00 Donation Limits and the Super PAC Loophole
18:15 Political Spoils, Corporations, and Union Money
22:45 Libertarians Debate Public Election Funding
27:30 The Massie Race and Foreign Influence
31:15 Stupid Voters, Mandatory Voting, and the Party Duopoly
42:00 One Change That Could Fix American Elections
Links
Watch All Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi78svKlBr_8o0dDOX8DxO_Wwxu6WYhhA
Watch Host Favorites: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi78svKlBr__Zu40RL7mWxCuOOe54zgy2
Join the Fed Haters Club @ https://www.goodmorningliberty.us/fedhatersclub
Join GML: https://joingml.com
[Martens Minute]: https://martensminute.podbean.com/
All links @ gml.bio.link
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