[PorterBHall]

Wedge issues, deployed by both political parties, do exactly this.

Wealthy donors express their political desires by funding politicians who become dependent on their continued financial support.

The voter gets just enough small wins on these wedge issues to keep them somewhat happy. The wealthy preserves the status quo since that’s how they became wealthy in the first place. Our democracy ossifies in the face of new challenges.

If voters across the spectrum viewed campaign finance reform as a key issue, we might have some hope in changing things.