Do campaign contributions to Congressmen buy votes?
Do campaign contributions buy votes? At least in most cases the answer is “no.” While there are always some rotten apples who are the exception, I believe most congressmen do not simply sell their votes to the highest bidder. However there is a problem with large contributions beyond just the possibility of directly buying votes: Large contributions buy access and that means influence. An ordinary constituent will be lucky to get two minutes with his congressman. How persuasive can you be in a two minute interview? However what happens when a large contributer wants to talk with his congressman? That person can get access nearly any time he wants, and will have lots of time to present his case. And of course the congressman has to know that his campaign finances are at risk should he offend that contributer. So with some exceptions, campaign contributions do not directly buy votes. However they do buy influence and that is bad for the country. This will be a difficult problem to solve
