Stop Waiting for Change—Start Bankrolling It
If billionaires can buy elections, why can’t we?
Elections aren’t won—they’re bought. This is the stark reality.
The billionaire class funds candidates who protect their interests, and in return, those politicians make sure the system keeps funneling wealth and power to the top. The loop continues. What does this mean for the rest of us? We’re just spectators, voting between pre-approved options, hoping for change that never comes.
This hit me hard while responding to Jay’s comment on my recent post, The Billionaire’s Guide to Killing the American Dream. We went back and forth about how real leaders—the ones who actually want to shake things up—never make it past the primaries. Not because they aren’t qualified. This isn't due to a lack of support from the public. Rather, it's because they lack the financial means to compete effectively.
And that’s when it hit me:
If elections are bought, then why aren’t we buying them back?
Why aren’t we funding independent candidates who refuse corporate money? Why aren’t we creating the kind of war chest that makes the establishment panic?
So here’s what I’m proposing: a GoFundMe for the future.
I am not advocating for a single candidate. I am not advocating for a specific candidate or political party. This initiative is aimed at fostering a movement. A publicly funded, grassroots war chest to support real leaders who are locked out of the system because they don’t have a billionaire sponsor.
This is not a political action committee. This isn't just another dark-money operation. We are a transparent, people-powered fund that supports candidates who work for us, not the elite.
We know small-dollar fundraising works—Bernie Sanders proved it. However, these efforts have consistently varied across different races and candidates.
What if we built something bigger?
What if instead of just voting for change, we funded it?
I'm tired of waiting for politicians to address issues that they profit from. If we want a future that belongs to us, we have to build it ourselves.
So… who’s in? Let’s stop talking about what’s wrong and start funding what’s next.
I like this idea and yet, I have problems with the money in politics. It's a huge machine, an absolutely corrupt machine, created in part by the fucking Supreme Court of these seemingly dis-united States. Citizens United was the end. The minute permission was granted to let businesses/corporations be "people" all was lost. PACs are awful. We have to get money out of politics any way we can. It's grotesque. The constant begging for money, the manipulative scare tactic texts coming from unknown sources is exhausting and infuriating. The begging for cash.
Representatives running for Congress in states outside of mine don't even reveal which state they're from when they beg. The constant email asks that are patronizing and also extremely manipulative. They ask their constituents, Democrat and Republican alike, to support their campaigns regardless of how some of us struggle financially. They win and then they give us next to nothing. During the 2020 election I spent what was a fortune to me at the time donating to all kinds of politicians. I didn't do that for 2024. I made two modest donations to Kamala. I made a donation or two to Katie Porter because she's one of the most sincere and intelligent politicians I've ever seen, I'd like her to be president one day, and of course, she lost because Schiff had more financial support. I'm thrilled that she's running for governor of California. The whole system has to be upended. I think I can count on one hand how many politicians I admire. I think I trust them, too. The system needs to be burned to the ground and rebuilt. I think we may beyond grassroots really being able to compete with billionaires and huge corporations. There. Rant ends here.
So I think I could get behind this. I agree with it in principle and have been channeling my rage and hopelessness into empowerment by donating to organizations that fight the injustices happing around us. That said, I have not donated to politicians or political parties yet, and I think that speaks volumes about my faith in them to do the right thing.