Constitution on The Solutions Are Known

Money in Politics

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 20:59:14 -0400

Every citizen has one vote. We do not have the same ability to put an issue on the agenda, fund a campaign, or keep an argument in front of the public. Some of that is unavoidable. People have different skills, audiences, and commitments. But persuasion earned through public support is not the same as influence bought with a fortune, and a democracy ought to tell the difference.

We need to reverse the constitutional rule from Citizens United, along with broader campaign-finance reform. Of course, people must have the right to criticize government, organize, publish unpopular arguments, and challenge the people in office. The design problem is protecting those freedoms without treating unlimited money as an untouchable part of political liberty.

The Supreme Court

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 20:59:14 -0400

The Supreme Court needs independence. A justice has to be able to tell a president, Congress, or an angry majority that the law doesn’t allow what they want to do. It also needs legitimacy. People should be able to believe that cases are decided on legal judgment, not private favors, undisclosed relationships, or one party’s success at manipulating the appointment calendar.

We have too often treated those goals as opposites. Accountability gets described as an attack on independence, and lifetime tenure gets treated as proof of it. Neither of those is true.

Representation

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:15:55 -0400

The United States political system gives the people already in office considerable control over who can replace them. They write the election rules, and in most cases the party in power draws the electoral districts. Money is needed to run political campaigns (see money in politics), most prominently to market the candidate and his or her positions. For many reasons, the incumbent has advantages in raising money and generating free publicity. We then act surprised when the resulting legislature is difficult to dislodge. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has been in office since 1981. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been in office since 1985. Representatives Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) have been in office since 1981. While the oldest, these are not outliers. A quick analysis of 2014 to 2024 found members were about twice as likely to leave on their own terms or die as to be voted out.