Open Book: The Power Of $9.4 Million
The Influence Of Money In Politics Is Undeniable. Where Are The Candidates Who Will Look Out For The Underdogs?
By Anya Nitczynski
For the GPHN
Time is money, and money is power. As election season arrives again, I am reminded of this truth, again. In every recent election year, I have watched campaign ads and strategies unfold and I’ve asked myself what promises will each politician keep, and how will they withstand the pressure and power of money?
As money flows into political campaigns in unfathomable amounts to an average working person, businesses pointedly and expertly insert themselves as a human voice in democracy. If money is power, then it seems the idea of true representation of what the people want from our country and its officials is a hopeless dream.
To highlight just one example: According to the nonpartisan research group Open Secrets, which tracks money in politics, employees and PACs associated with the Denver-based Anschutz Corporation have contributed nearly $9.4 million to electoral campaigns since 1990 — including $2.3 million in the 2022 election cycle alone. The top recipient this cycle is the conservative Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC that received $500,000. This money is not a hypothetical. It is very real, and so is its impact.
The incomprehensible influence money has on our lives and who runs them is shocking to me and my peers.
It’s hard to believe that anybody is looking out for the underdog. I’ve heard countless stories from homeless individuals of complete and utter brutality directed at them that is not only allowed under our current governance, but encouraged. The wide disconnect between the people suffering from our systems and the people creating and upholding them is due almost entirely to money, or a lack thereof.
Not only does money flow directly into campaigns, but corporations that have huge influences over public opinion — subconsciously or consciously — can sway public opinion in ways that are both legal and terrifying. Social media companies like Meta can run Facebook and Instagram ads that contain misleading misinformation that are seriously dangerous to the integrity of democracy.
All this is not to say we don’t have individual power or control over our lives. Our democracy has relied for years on the power of people and the power of people coming together. Miniscule efforts combined become huge. Still, it’s scary growing up in a world where we don’t feel represented in government. It’s scary waiting for somebody to do right by us.
Anya Nitczynski is a sophomore at Denver School of the Arts. Her column appears monthly in these pages.