I forget where I read it, but no matter how popular a particular bill was with the general populace, it had a ~ 30% chance of passing whether it was universally reviled or loved. The probability was literally a flat line, indicating that voter sentiment had almost no impact on what was actually passed.
Now, what's interesting is when they plotted the same line vs corporate and special interest lobbyists. There was a near perfect correlation between the sentiment of those with money and the probability of the bill passing.
Americans are getting pretty frustrated with the fact that all of our political candidates are basically 'pre-approved' by the rich, and anger is redirecting to populist candidates. It's also contributing to the partisan divide as many Americans feel abandoned by the 'establishment'.
People think politicians like Trump are the problem, when really, they're the symptom of a system that serves corporate interests over that of it's citizens.
This is the crux of it. George Carlin had a bit that voting is about choosing which waiter serves you the food, but its always the same cooks in the kitchen who decide what you'll eat.
Now, what's interesting is when they plotted the same line vs corporate and special interest lobbyists. There was a near perfect correlation between the sentiment of those with money and the probability of the bill passing.
Americans are getting pretty frustrated with the fact that all of our political candidates are basically 'pre-approved' by the rich, and anger is redirecting to populist candidates. It's also contributing to the partisan divide as many Americans feel abandoned by the 'establishment'.
People think politicians like Trump are the problem, when really, they're the symptom of a system that serves corporate interests over that of it's citizens.