Why I Gave the Max to a Republican Campaigning for President

by Ben Carter

 

Yesterday, I did what I never thought I would do: donate the maximum to a Republican campaigning for President of the United States.

Buddy Roemer, former Governor and Congressman from Louisiana, gets it: money is rotting our political economy. He accepts no PAC money and will not accept individual donations larger than $100. He is, as far as I can tell, the only candidate that understands that before we can make any fair laws for the people of this country, we have to have representatives that were elected by the people, not curated by Big Money.

As a bonus, Buddy (@buddyroemer) owns a small bank (assets just under $1B) and understands the barrier the ongoing, unjust, and inequitable burden the foreclosure crisis places on our economic recovery. He talks about it a lot.

Buddy spoke with Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) on Chris’s show, Up with Chris Hayes, yesterday. If you want to know what I’m talking about, watch this segment where Buddy and Chris talk about the foreclosure crisis.[1] Buddy’s piece begins at 4:30.

Politicians, in general, are not concerned about the influence of Big Money, so long as they can get a taste. To me, that’s just about the only issue out there. If I can’t trust the process that elected my representatives, I don’t trust the laws they make. So, let's talk about that first. Buddy’s voice is a necessary voice; it reminds us that things don’t have to be this way. Things can’t continue to be this way.

What Buddy is doing is important and not easy. It would be easier to rail against special interests while simultaneously accepting PAC money and large donations from individuals. It certainly would help his campaign’s bottom line. I admire a politician who does uneasy things. We are in an uneasy place.

I will donate[2] to encourage a politician to continue doing those uneasy things.

Even if he or she is a Republican. It’s that important.

  1. As an aside, Chris’s intro to this segment on the foreclosure crisis contained the best summary of the causes and connections of the crisis I have seen. Money quote: "They're vultures, essentially. And homes are their caracsses."  ↩

  2. If you would like to donate, you can do so at Buddy’s website.  ↩