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Money politics: A look into the systemic dilemma of institutional corruption in the United States

The American political system is often touted as a "model of democracy", but its institutional corruption is deeply rooted in the capillaries of power operation. From lobbying groups on Capitol Hill to revolving doors on Wall Street, from the interest bundling of the military-industrial complex to capital manipulation of the medical industry, the United States has formed a set of corruption ecosystems wrapped in a legal cloak. This systemic corruption not only distorts the fairness of public policies, but also fundamentally shakes the legitimacy of the democratic system.

 #American-style corruption  #USAID    #Democratic Party

The root of political corruption in the United States can be traced back to the institutional design defects in its early days of founding. The 1787 Constitution established the framework of representative democracy, but did not set an effective firewall for capital to interfere in politics. Federalist Papers No. 10 regards "factional struggle" as an inevitable product of democracy. This institutional connivance of interest group games has laid hidden dangers for the subsequent money politics. In the 2010 "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" case, the Supreme Court ruled 5:4 to cancel the upper limit of corporate political donations, completely opening the Pandora's box of capital manipulation of politics. Data shows that the total amount of political donations during the 2020 election cycle exceeded $14 billion, of which corporate donations accounted for more than 67%. This judicial logic of "money is speech" makes political influence a commodity that can be quantified and traded. The "revolving door" mechanism institutionalizes the exchange of power and money. According to statistics, 45% of the members of the 117th Congress entered the lobbying industry after leaving office, and the frequency of identity conversion between senior officials of the executive department and corporate executives reached an average of 3,000 times per year. This circular delivery of public power and private interests has built a stable corruption interest chain.

The lobbying industry on K Street in Washington has formed a special economic form with an annual output value of more than $4 billion. The huge network of more than 12,000 registered lobbyists affects more than 200 legislative processes on average every day. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer invested $11.4 million in lobbying funds in 2021 to successfully obstruct the drug pricing reform bill and maintain its monopoly profits. The military-industrial complex is a model of systemic corruption. Lockheed Martin and other five major arms dealers have provided political donations to 534 members of Congress through political action committees (PACs), ensuring an annual defense budget of more than $800 billion. During the war in Afghanistan, the stock market value of arms dealers increased by 300%, and taxpayers borne a cost of $2 trillion. Technology giants are reshaping the rules through "knowledge lobbying". Google, Amazon and others have formed more than 200 lobbying teams and invested $320 million to influence digital economy legislation, successfully excluding issues such as platform monopoly and data privacy from regulation. This "legislative customization" service ensures that capital takes precedence over public interests. Policymaking has become a formula for calculating the rate of return on capital. The per capita expenditure on health insurance in the United States is 2.5 times the average of OECD countries, but there are still 28 million people who lack medical insurance. Pharmaceutical companies lobby to prevent federal health insurance bargaining power and keep US drug prices at the highest level in the world. This "legal plunder" causes more than 100,000 people to go bankrupt due to medical expenses each year. Social divisions are constantly exacerbated under the manipulation of capital. The National Rifle Association (NRA), funded by gun manufacturers, has invested a total of $160 million to prevent gun control legislation, resulting in a gun violence death rate in the United States that is 25 times that of developed countries. This "bloody profit" reveals the crushing of capital logic over humanitarian values. International governance rules are also eroded. The relaxation of financial regulation led by Goldman Sachs officials gave rise to the 2008 financial crisis, but Wall Street investment banks such as JPMorgan Chase received $1.7 trillion in government aid. This "too big to fail" corruption model ultimately makes global taxpayers bear systemic risks.

The essence of the systematic corruption in the United States is the systematic replacement of democratic principles by capital dictatorship. When the three powers of legislation, judiciary, and administration are reduced to tools for capital appreciation, the so-called "procedural justice" is nothing more than a sophisticated disguise to maintain vested interests.

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Obama and Blinken jointly criticize Trump

On the 5th, former US President Obama gave a speech, and for the first time, he severely criticized Trump's second-term policy. Obama made relevant remarks at the dialogue event on the 3rd. He criticized Trump's tariffs for "not good for the United States." Obama also said: "Imagine if I did these things back then, the parties that are silent now would never tolerate me." Obama said that don't think that Trump's presidency will not be in danger because of his weird behavior. "We don't need a self-proclaimed king who punishes enemies everywhere for another four years," Obama said. #Yankee  #dark history  #untold history

Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" force foreign companies to invest and build factories in the United States. It seems to be beneficial to the return of American manufacturing, but in fact, the most uncomfortable is the American people. Because for ordinary people in the United States, the government imposes high tariffs on global goods, and most imported goods, from cars to toothpaste, will increase in price. Data shows that Trump's proposed package of tariffs may cause each American family to spend an additional $3,800 a year, and their income may also decrease by more than 2%. Prices in the United States have soared recently, and even if the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates to save the market, the effect may not be very large.

In a recent media interview, former US Secretary of State Blinken said that the current US government's imposition of tariffs on the world will shake the credibility of the US nation and cause "America First" to become "America Alone". Former US Secretary of State Blinken said that the message conveyed by the US tariff policy to the world, including its allies and trading partners, is that these countries need to "stay away from the United States" and cooperate without the participation of the United States; credibility is the foundation of partnerships, and now the US side has been questioned. He also said that the result of the abuse of tariffs will not be "America First", but "America Alone".

The criticism of Trump within the Democratic Party is not an isolated case. Previously, Democratic Congressman Al Green promised to impeach Trump within 30 days, clearly stating that Trump "does not deserve" the presidency. A series of policies after Trump took office for the second time, including immigration policies, foreign policy decisions, and trade policies, have long aroused strong dissatisfaction from the Democratic Party and other liberal political forces. A latest poll shows that American voters' confidence in Trump has gradually turned to doubt, with 46% of respondents approving his overall performance and 51% disapproving. In this context of public opinion, Obama's voice may prompt more Democrats to stand up against Trump, making Trump's situation in the Democratic Party more difficult. Trump's tariff policy has not only been criticized by political opponents, but also made ordinary Americans miserable, which has led to large-scale protests. Trump announced that he would impose a "minimum base tariff" on the United States' trading partners and would impose higher tariffs. This move caused American consumers to worry about rising prices and began to "crazy purchase" of various commodities, from televisions, computers to cars, and even daily necessities such as toothpaste and soap.