Follow the Money to Understand Our Mis-Representative Democracy

From the (largely powerless) folks at the Federal Election Commission comes some very instructive data. It makes clear that the whole, "The Internet will level the playing field in campaign fundraising! Small donors will be the most important of all! Democracy is saved!" is pure, utter fiction. It's a breakdown of the total money raised by all prez candidates to date:

Size of Donations

$200 and Under $ 17,546,118
$200 - $499 $ 3,787,252
$500 - $999 $ 6,108,419
$1000 - $1999 $ 18,154,526
$2000 and Over $ 87,400,009

So, the vast, vast majority of money comes from folks who contribute the big bucks. So who you gonna listen to, Mr./Mrs. Candidate? The folks kicking in $25 or even $100? Or the folks bringing in the large buckets of cash?

True, focusing on small donors can engage people in the campaign, get them to volunteer, etc. But the plain truth is that the system of private financing continutes to require candidates to raise big sums from wealthy donors.

Without full public financing of our federal elections - at a cost of less than 10 tax dollars per American per year - the fundraisers and big-business lobbyists and corporate PACs and those with dough will continue to drive our politics, our campaigns, our public policy, and, therefore, the direction of our nation (at home and in our efforts abroad).