Men With Money

The Gilded Age, however, was soon swallowed by the Progressive Era in American politics. In this new scene, populist reformers such as Theodore Roosevelt instituted a number of anti-trust policies, which limited the amount of wealth that donors could give (bribe) candidates with, starving the beast. The policies of the New Deal under FDR would prove the final nail in the coffin for the Gilded Age, laying the power of the ultra-rich to rest for some 40 years. 

However, in 1976, the United States Supreme Court, decided in the Supreme Court decision Buckley V. Valeo, though a person could be limited from donating an excessive amount to other people's campaigns, they could not be limited from donating to their own campaigns. This gave people with particular wealth an advantage over their more middle class political opponents. 

This ushered in an age of politicians whose wealth was vastly different from their constituents, limiting, not always but frequently, their ability to empathize with the needs of the people. Furthermore, in terms of regulating industries, questions have risen over possible conflicts of interest among the wealthy. 

In the audacious 80's, as the wealth of senators and representatives began its long trek to exceed that of its constituents, the United States government, in the form of the FEC (Federal Election Commission) would begin to loosen its election laws. Though many of these leaders are now long passed, many still remain, including one of the many architects of the rightward shift in campaign finance, the current Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky). 

One notable birth of these loose laws; super PACS. Super PACs are groups whose goals are to influence elections and American political discourse, and who can receive unlimited donations. If you've ever seen an advertisement for a candidate, particularly a nasty one, that was not authorized by any candidate, it was probably a Super PAC. The effect of these laws and commissions being allowed to age, rust and become outdated can be seen most evidently in 2  passionate brothers. 

Charles and David Koch, two stupendously rich brothers who own Koch Industries, have been allowed to prop up candidates, republican and otherwise, who share their libertarian (low taxes, few government services, etc.) policies. They stoked fears about climate regulations from the 80's onward, and helped shackle America to its current climate condition and energy problems. 

Looking at this, there is only one conclusion. One that draws from our history, which can be recalled by historians, career politicians, and casual observers alike; the choice is the American people's. Though it can be easy to default to a point of intense pessimism, which appears all too common in a generation for whom giving up appears an all too common refrain on such subjects as the America, the climate crisis, and an ever expanding array of issues, there is no reason, either perhaps than laziness, to give up. 

Remember, our nation has been here before, in the Gilded Age, yet it nevertheless ended. Because the will, generated by such figures as Eugene Debbs and William Jennings Bryan, forced the political establishment to listen. 

As early as the 2000's, American politics has felt the beginning of a new reckoning for campaign finance reform, one which is felt fully today. Among politicians for whom far left is not an uncommon descriptor, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) or Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat-New York), redistributing wealth like in the eras of the Square Deal (Theodore Roosevelt) and New Deal (Franklin D. Roosevelt) is a common rallying cry, seen not only as a way to reduce wealth inequality, but also to remedy the political system which they see as fundamentally broken. Others, following a more centrist or conservative approach, such as Fmr. Senator John McCain (Republican-Arizona) and Russ Feingold (Democrat-Wisconsin) have proposed more modest measures limiting the power of wealthy donors and Super PACs. Only time will tell what course of action, if any, the American people will take.