In fact, these sources accounted for the two largest contributions to the Clinton-Gore ticket in 1992. According to investigations by Edward Timperlake and William Triplett, the administration compromised America s national security by providing our enemies with access to countless national defense secrets in return for generous campaign funds. But the evidence of political back scratching doesn t stop there. Well, if you happen to be a member of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the trade group for brand-name drug makers, you d invest your windfall in Washington politicians. With the help of that influence, brand-name dug companies have kept their bottom lines healthy by successfully convincing Congress to let them hold on to their drug patents longer.
Election campaigns are critical periods in the lives of democracies.
They select decision makers, shape policy, and distribute power. By creating the need to raise larger amounts of money to pay for media campaigns, television has made candidates more dependent on the interests that provide large financial contributions. But this predicament is not limited to television. From Guttenberg s removable type press to Bell s telephone to cable TV, nearly all telecommunication technologies have been intended to bolster democracy by providing better access to information. In an ironic twist of fate, technologies developed to bridge distances and destroy communication barriers have in fact distanced politicians from their constituents and erected barriers between democracy and the masses.