Everybody in America knows that the industries that throw cash at the lawmakers get their way on bills. It happens every day. The fact is that big money drowns out the voices of average Americans. Polluters give cash to block measures to clean up the air and water. HMOs use it to ensure that their customers can't hold them accountable for denying necessary care.
Drug companies use it to keep the prices of drugs higher than most people can afford.
Members of Congress spend uncounted hours on the telephone begging for money and cozying up to corporate lobbyists with their hands out. You may not be able to buy a member of Congress but you can definitely rent one. The more money in politics, the less their votes count. But opponents of reform have offered an alternative, a false tradeoff. In exchange for banning some soft money, they want to triple the amount that individuals can give directly to candidates, known as hard money.