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Politics and Activism

Election For Sale!

It costs a lot to buy the next president, but here are some people who are trying the hardest.

Kyra Ungerleider
Sep 21, 2015
The Ohio State University
14
Election For Sale!

We are entering a new age of politics, one where the voice of the individual is muted by the blaring noise of cash being thrown at presidential candidates. Some candidates have asked donors not to exceed a certain amount, but others like Ted Cruz are riding on the backs on a handful of major investors. When someone donates over $10 million dollars to a campaign, you have to ask what the return will be and who ultimately pays the price.

Robert Mercer

The multi-billionaire got his start at IBM using computers to outsmart the stock market and has donated over $15 million dollars of his fortune to conservative campaigns in the last three years. His favorite for the presidency is Republican Senator Ted Cruz. (Remember, the guy who cooked bacon by shooting a gun? Yeah, that’s him). Mercer has donated over $11 million to the 2016 presidential campaign so far.

Toby Neugebauer

The co-founder of Quantum Energy Partners and son of politician Randy Neugebauer, he has donated over $10 million to Cruz's campaign. Cruz’s promise to abolish the IRS and introduce a flat tax is one of the reasons Neugebauer is so interested in the candidate.

The Wilks Family

The brothers made their fortune in gas fracking and are both worth over $1.5 billion. They are extremely conservative (Farris Wilks is a pastor) and are rallying for…Ted Cruz! Together they donated over $15 million. That means of the $37 million that the Cruz super PAC has raised, 95% has come from THREE DONATORS.

Ronald Cameron

The CEO of Mountaire Corporation, a poultry company, is responsible for 83% of Mike Huckabee’s super-PAC’s fundraising. So basically there’s one person paying $3 million for Huckabee to run.

If you notice, not a single one of these major investments backs a Democratic candidate. That’s not to say big checks are not being written to the left wing. Hilary Clinton's super PAC has nine donations of $1 million each. What's disconcerting is that many candidates are only afloat because of a few rich people with ulterior motives beyond the desire to "make America great." The question becomes, "Is this a race of who is best fit for the job or who is the best at sucking up to the richest .5% of the nation?"

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