Daily Dose of Depression -- Micro Managing Mitch Says No

I’m generally hard on Micro Managing Mitch and his strong arm tactics. But stepping away from all that and just looking at MMM’s decision to not run as a general problem in our electoral process, what do you come up with? 

One thing stands out in clear relief: It costs a lot of money to run for office.  This means collecting money, which means owing friends and special  interests.  Both Republicans and Democrats go through this money meat ethics grinder. Perhaps MMM and his family balked at this prospect. Perhaps Newt Gingrich embraces it.  It’s not a pretty prospect for most candidates.  And the Supreme Court’s misguided “United” decision has worsened the situation. 

Yet few are ready to put limits on campaign spending, or, heaven forbid, opt for electoral reforms that equalize campaign expenditures through a combination of private caps and public financing. So we are left with what we get–money making the political world go round and those who are good at it, revel in it, don’t even bother to think about it, running for public office. 

So who should be surprised when we get what we pay for?  Or by the news of how too many of our elected officials pay for what they get?