Thread by @Meidas_UWisco

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Today I’m gonna take a deep dive into how Congressional corruption started, what it looks like now, how it affects critical issues, and how to fix it
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The story of corruption of Congress begins in 1993 on the eve of the 1994 midterms. Newt Gingrich, since he was elected to Congress in 1978, had been involved in the process of changing how the parties treat each other and speak to each other.
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Initially, his politics of hate and division didn’t catch on, and was widely frowned upon by Democrats and other Republicans. Although there were great policy differences, members of both parties made an effort to be bipartisan, and drew a line between a person and their
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politics. Democrats and Republicans were often friends with each other, and had great respect for each other. This changed in 1993. Gingrich sensed an opportunity to take back the House from the Democrats. He pioneered a “win at all costs” strategy
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which entailed of blocking any Democrat bill, including some with bipartisan support, and ratcheted up the attacks against dems, pushing conspiracies and scandals. His theory, which turned out to be correct, was that the public would blame the dems for the gridlock.
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Targeted gridlock plus a successful messaging campaign against prominent Democrat leaders proved to be a winning strategy, and the Republicans won the House for the first time in decades. Gingrich was elected speaker, and the second phase of his plan began.
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Holding onto power became the top priority, so he instituted a series of changes that shifted the balance of power in Congress. The most consequential change was a focus on fundraising. Committee assignments and leadership positions now required a payment.
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For example, a chairmanship on the coveted Ways and Means Committee cost $1.2 million (!) per election cycle (!!) in 2017. Rank and file members have to pay around $450,000, and this isn’t even counting typical party dues, which can run a member $100,000 or more.
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These fees, while not legally binding, are not optional either. If a committee member doesn’t raise enough money, they will be removed from the committee. If a member falls short on dues, they will be hit with a better funded primary challenger in the next cycle.
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So, these party payments became of the utmost priority to Congressmen, because they faced being out of power if it wasn’t. There quickly became only one way to raise this type of money every cycle: special interest groups.
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It’s important to note that although Republicans started this trend, Democrats and Nancy Pelosi also do it now, and often require more money than Republicans do. The whole system is broken, not just one party.
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Here’s how the process works now. A Congressman wants a spot on the Ways and Means Committee. He must now raise $450,000, so he goes to a lobbyist who is working on behalf of a corporation. The corporation provides a big donation, but it isn’t free money.
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If the Congressman wants to keep getting donations from that corporation, they must do their bidding and vote the way they are told. Otherwise, that money will go to the other party. Fundraising requirements are also how leadership can rule their caucus with an iron fist.
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If a Republican votes against a bill the McConnell makes mandatory, he will fund their primary opponent and try to knock them out of Congress. Money in politics has also led to a reorganization in the structure of committees.
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Committee assignments used to be based on an individual Congressman’s knowledge and passion. That way, we can have experts making policy in the field of their expertise. Now, committee assignments are made based on who raises more money.
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Someone who knows absolutely nothing about transportation can be put on that committee if they fail to raise enough money to be on a more “important” committee. This has led to committees serving special interests, and not the American people
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Let’s take a look at how this new way of governing has ignored the will of the American people in favor of corporations. The NRA is perhaps the most powerful lobbyist organization in Congress. They control an insane amount of money and fundraising prowess
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and aren’t afraid to swing around their checkbook. That’s how 95% of Americans can support common sense gun reforms, but Congress hasn’t seriously considered reform in decades. The NRA has even successfully fought against research into gun violence.
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If a congressman were to introduce legislation banning bump stocks, for example, the NRA would run attack ads in her district and fund her opponent much better than she is. They would attempt to destroy her career with money.
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Climate change is a similar story. The Koch Brothers’ business relies on using machines and processes that pollute the air and advance the effects of global warming. Although it is a near consensus in the science community that we are facing an existential threat to humanity
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the Koch Brothers will destroy a Republican’s political career if they even acknowledge the need for climate change legislation. They have funded false studies, and spend millions on advertising to downplay the effects of pollution.
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In order to literally save humanity, we need action on climate change, and because of the rampant corruption in congress, we may never see it. Another example is the continued success of the military industrial complex, as wars wage on. War is good for defense contractors,
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and they make it known through their generous donations to those who support war and aggression and against those who want to bring our troops home. These are just three examples, almost any issue you can think of is controlled and funded by special interest groups.
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They have taken power away from the American people in their own government. What I want to see Congress do matters less to my representative than what corporations and lobbyists have to say about it. That is wrong, undemocratic, un-American, and has to stop.
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Luckily, there is a solution available if we are all willing to work to get there. House Resolution 1 is the first step, and last year, it passed the House only to be killed in the Senate. This bill would’ve done a few things. First, it would’ve gotten rid of gerrymandering,
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which is badly needed (I will get deeper into gerrymandering in a later thread). Next, it would create a 6-1 donation matching system from small donors. This will reduce reliance on corporations to raise money, and bring the focus back to the constituents.
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The bill bans foreign campaign donors, secret or “dark” money contributions, and strengthens the Federal Election Commission so that these rules can’t be flouted. It also creates new ethics standards and harsher rules for violating these.
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HR 1 would be a great start, however I would also like to see term limits which would reduce the incentive to rely on special interest money, and eventually the banning of corporate money in campaigns.
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That is the only way to truly ensure that there is no quid-pro-quo and that our representatives truly work for us. There are some who don’t take any corporate money and they deserve to be rewarded. But it won’t ever be all of them until we create institutional change.
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Reform, especially at the institutional level, is slow and difficult. But, passing HR 1 would be a great start. Luckily, we have a unique opportunity to force real change by electing @ossoff and @ReverendWarnock in Georgia.
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But that’s just the start. Democrats use this corrupt system as well, so if they take back the Senate, we must stay on them and force action in a meaningful way. Thanks for reading and I hope this thread will spark conversation on the #PassHR1 movement!
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