Interview: U.S. political system "really skewed" due to money influence in politics

The U.S. political system is "really skewed" because of the unbridled money influence in politics, and a new Constitutional amendment is needed to restore some balance, an American political activist told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"So it really is a system that is out of balance -- voters feel that their voice doesn't really matter, it's reducing trust in government," said Stephen Spaulding, legal director and senior policy counsel of Common Cause, a public interest advocacy group.

"It's a system that is really skewed, in favor of those who can participate with their bank accounts, rather than just their votes," Spaulding commented on money's influence in U.S. politics, a heated topic in the 2016 presidential race that currently kicks into high gear.

Spaulding said this year's presidential race could be the most expensive one in American history in terms of campaign spending.

"The last election was about 7 billion U.S. dollars. We're seeing a lot more money this time going through super PACs, much more money from an unrepresentative segment of society -- and money in politics has really been a theme, so far, in the election," he said.

The super PACs, short for political action committees, are set up by candidates to accept unlimited donations from supporters allowed by a 2010 Supreme Court ruling which lifted the restrictions on campaign donations to nonprofit corporations that support certain candidates.

Though the 2016 election season has barely passed half way, 22 presidential candidates have raised more than 1,219 million U.S. dollars in campaign funds, including 452 million dollars in donations to their super PACs. Until the end of April, more than 1,023 million dollars of the campaign donations had already been spent.

"People think the rules are rigged in favor of those who can hire lobbyists, in favor for those who can pay for candidate's campaigns," Spaulding said. "There's an expression that 'he who pays the piper calls the tune.' So there's concern that money skews it to those who have the biggest bank accounts and the biggest pockets, and not necessarily on ideas."

Spaulding held that there are "many loopholes" in the Supreme Court ruling that need to be closed, "where money can be spent secretly, and we the voters are left in the dark."

"So, that's another trend we are going to see in 2016," he added.

Moreover, the fundraising pressure has been very distracting, because the candidates, and even elected lawmakers and officials seeking re-election, have to keep fundraising all the time in order to stay competitive.

So they "aren't legislating, aren't spending time in hearings, (and) aren't spending time solving problems," Spaulding said.

As a result, the public's trust in the Congress is "at record lows," he said.

Indeed, an April 6-10 Gallup poll showed the approval ratings of U.S. Congress were at only 17 percent. The ratings of Congress tumbled to 9 percent, a record low, in November 2013 after the government shutdown caused by the feuding over the budget between the Democratic government and the Republican-controlled Congress.

Spaulding said that Common Cause, which has nearly half a million members, has been working "to advance solutions that reduce the influence of money in politics, and elevate the voices of average Americans so we can have some more balance in the system."

He believed that the Supreme Court's controversial ruling, passed with a 5-4 vote, was "an aberration" and should be overturned or amended.

"So, I think the logic behind it has largely been rejected by the American people, and I think it will be overturned, either (by) a new Supreme Court with a new makeup, or a new Justice reexamines that decision and overturns it, or perhaps by a Constitutional amendment," Spaulding said.

There is already a movement underway to introduce a viable 28th Constitutional amendment that would restore the ability of states and Congress to impose some reasonable limits on money in politics, he revealed. Endit