Big money has long dominated American politics, with wealthy donors, corporations, and special interests dumping tons of cash into presidential and congressional elections.
asserted
donors → dominate → elections
But what’s different is that the quid pro quo of campaign money for preferential government treatment is more brazen than ever before and has become part of the cornucopia of corruption running through the Trump administration.
asserted
quo → ’ → administration
In this new episode of Stress Test campaign finance reporter Russ Choma joins hosts David Corn and Garrison Hayes to analyze the $1.7 billion that has been poured into the election so far—including hundreds of millions from crypto and sports betting, industries that were barely on the political map in 2020.
asserted
that → join → 2020
“There’s no sign of deceleration,” Russ says in the episode.
asserted
Russ → ’ → episode
“There’s no sign of slowing down, it’s only acceleration.”
asserted
it → ’ → ?
So much of what’s happening is hidden from public scrutiny, because super PACs can obscure donors, and issue ads and targeted turnout operations can go unreported.
asserted
ads → happen → donors
It’s like “dark matter in the universe that you can’t see,” David observes.
asserted
David → ’ → that
The threat to democracy is real, because donors get to cash in by having the administration align with their deregulatory goals, or, in the case of Elon Musk, can gain control of an agency or decimate whole sections of government.
asserted
administration → get → government
“They’re getting more than total access,” Russ explains.
asserted
Russ → get → access
“They’re getting inclusion.”
asserted
They → get → inclusion
“There have always been a lot of people who believe that the government was corrupt,” Russ says.
asserted
Russ → believe → people
“But the problem is that now they’re right.”
asserted
they → ’re → ?
It’s a goal.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
After all, the most effective thing a campaign can buy, Russ notes, is a negative ad, designed “to make you not vote.
asserted
you → buy → ?
Voters are telling pollsters they see more corruption these days, and when that collides with a sour economy, apathy can curdle into anger.
asserted
apathy → tell → anger
Might such synergy be happening in the United States?
uncertain
synergy → happen → States
That’s all in today’s episode of Stress Test.
asserted
That → ’ → Test
And want more on how money is warping American politics?
asserted
money → want → politics
Russ Choma covers Trump’s crypto fortune, his financial conflicts, and the cash behind the midterms.
asserted
Choma → cover → midterms
This transcript was generated with automated tools and may contain errors.
uncertain
transcript → generate → errors
I’m David Corn.
asserted
I → ’m → ?
And I’m Garrison Hayes.
asserted
I → ’m → ?
How are you doing today?
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you → do → ?
It’s great to be back with you.
asserted
It → ’ → you
And I hear that when I was gone, you did a great show with Tim Murphy about the backlash to data centers and how that’s become a bipartisan issue during this campaign.
asserted
that → hear → campaign
We had a great conversation about how this is a rare bipartisan issue where you’re seeing backlash and pushback and real anger from both Democrats and Republicans and really everyone in between and beyond, especially in the state of Texas.
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you → have → Texas
Our colleague Tim Murphy has been out in Texas a few times, and he has another trip upcoming, where he’s been reporting from the ground on the way that these data centers and the backlash to them are really shaping the political atmosphere there.
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centers → have → atmosphere
In fact, he told me about how the governor, Greg Abbott, has made this huge 180 kind of turn from being a champion of data centers to being against them.
asserted
governor → tell → them
You know, he actually invited, you know, Google.
asserted
you → know → Google
They had this big press conference where Google’s spending $40 billion on multiple campuses across the state.
asserted
Google → have → state
There are other huge projects out there, and none of those projects are actually coming to an end, even though the governor is talking about a pause or a moratorium on data centers going forward.
asserted
governor → be → centers
If you missed that episode, I really encourage you to go back and watch it.
asserted
I → miss → it
It’s such an important issue during these midterms.
asserted
It → ’ → midterms
You can catch it on our YouTube channel.
asserted
You → catch → channel
That’s the Mother Jones YouTube channel.
asserted
That → ’ → ?
Make sure you subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss any of the episodes coming up.
asserted
you → make → episodes
Okay, listen, today’s gonna be a good show.
asserted
today → listen → ?
We’re talking about money in politics, specifically campaign money—in other words, what you can and cannot buy in American politics.
asserted
you → talk → politics
And we’re gonna talk about some of the big spenders, some of the big receivers of that money, who wishes they had more money, perhaps, who has more money than they need.
asserted
they → go → money
Okay, so that’s an inclusive list.
asserted
that → ’ → ?
…and 241 more, not listed.
The Aporia
