中国人权研究会26日发表《金钱政治暴露“美式民主”的虚伪面目》文章。全文如下：文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/8536.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/8536.html
The China Society for Human Rights Studies on December 26 issued an article titled “Money Politics Exposes the Hypocrisy of ‘U.S.-Style Democracy.’” The full text is as follows:文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/8536.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/8536.html
金钱政治暴露“美式民主”的虚伪面目文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/8536.html
Money Politics Exposes the Hypocrisy of “US-Style Democracy”文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/8536.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/8536.html
中国人权研究会文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/8536.html
The China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS)文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/8536.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/8536.html
2019年12月
December 2019
美国一向自诩为民主的“灯塔”，宣称人民拥有参与公共事务、选举和监督政府的权利。但现实情况是，美国政治对立尖锐，社会撕裂严重，大批民众被排斥在政治过程之外。金钱政治是造成这种现象的重要原因。金钱政治剥夺了人民的民主权利，压制了选民真实意愿的表达，形成了事实上的政治不平等。近年来，富人阶层对美国政治的影响力越来越大，普通美国人的影响力则日渐缩小。金钱政治暴露了美国民主的虚假一面。
The United States always praises itself as the “beacon” of democracy, advocating that people have the right to participate in public affairs, elections, and supervision over their governments. Nevertheless, in reality, given the severe divisions in US politics and society, a large number of US citizens do not have a chance to participate in politics. The main reason for this phenomenon is money politics. Money politics deprives the people of their democratic rights, suppresses the expression of voters’ true will, and creates de facto political inequality. In recent years in the United States, the wealthy class has exerted an increasingly important influence on politics while the common people’s influence on politics has declined. Money politics exposes the hypocrisy of US democracy.
一、金钱充斥美国政治全过程
1. Money has infused the entire US political system.
“金钱是政治的母乳”。这句广为流传的评论精准而又犀利地揭示了当代美国政治的本质。金钱是美国政治的驱动力。美国庞大复杂的政治机器，只有在金钱燃料的推动下，才能持续前行。金钱是美国政治的润滑剂。离开金钱，美国政治根本无法顺畅运行。金钱政治贯穿了美国选举、立法和施政的所有环节，成为美国社会挥之不去的顽疾。
“Money is the mother’s milk of politics.” This widely circulated comment accurately and sharply reveals the essence of contemporary US politics. Money is the driving force of US politics. The huge and complex political machine of the United States can only get started with the fuel of money. Money is the lubricant of US politics. Without money, US politics cannot run smoothly. Money politics runs through all aspects of US elections, legislation, and governance, and has become a persistent disease in US society.
选举沦为金钱游戏。选举的本来目的是表达选民意志、确定政策方向和选择合格的领导者。但是，美国的金钱政治却扭曲了民意，把选举搞成了富人阶层的“独角戏”。金钱深深植根于美国选举的各个环节中。在所有层级的选举中，筹集资金都是参选者的入门条件。没有足够的金钱，根本无法参加竞逐任何重要政治职位。21世纪以来，美国共和党与民主党两党总统候选人的选举费用从2004年的7亿美元，快速增加到2008年的10亿美元、2012年的20亿美元。2016年，包括总统选举和国会选举在内的美国大选总共花费了66亿美元，成为美国历史上最昂贵的政治选举。美国中期选举费用也快速升高。2002年到2014年间举行的4届中期选举分别花费21.8亿美元、28.5亿美元、36.3亿美元和38.4亿美元，2018年则达到52亿美元。在2018年的中期选举中，赢得一个参议院席位的平均成本为1940万美元，赢得一个众议院席位的平均成本超过150万美元。高额的选举费用大大提高了参选门槛，排除了绝大多数人参加竞选的可能。只有少数有能力筹集大量竞选资金的人，才能加入美国政治选举角逐。这无疑为富人和利益集团通过金钱笼络候选人营造了温床。
Under such circumstances, elections, whose original purpose is to express the will of the voters, determine the political direction, and choose qualified leaders, have been reduced to money games. The money politics of the United States has distorted public opinion and turned elections into a “one-man show” of the wealthy class. Money is deeply involved in every aspect of US elections. Raising funds is a prerequisite for a candidate to run in an election at any level. Without enough money, it is simply impossible to compete for any important political position. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the election costs of the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates have increased rapidly from $700 million in 2004 to $1 billion in 2008 and $2 billion in 2012. In 2016, US elections, including presidential and congressional elections, cost a total of $6.6 billion, making it the most expensive political election in US history. The cost of the US midterm elections has also risen rapidly. The four midterm elections held between 2002 and 2014 cost $2.18 billion, $2.85 billion, $3.63 billion, and $3.84 billion, respectively, and the one held in 2018 cost as much as $5.2 billion. In the 2018 midterm election, the average cost of winning a Senate seat was $19.4 million, and the average cost of winning a House seat exceeded $1.5 million. The high election expenses have greatly raised the threshold for election participation and eliminated the possibility of the vast majority of people participating in political elections. Only a few people who are capable of raising large amounts of election funds can join the US political elections. This has undoubtedly provided the wealthy class and interest groups with numerous chances to win candidates over through money.
除公开登记的选举经费外，大量秘密资金和“暗钱”也注入美国选举活动。美国全国广播公司新闻网2018年报道，美国财政部宣布不再要求大多数非营利组织报告捐赠来源，这大大降低了选举资金的透明度。自联邦最高法院2010年对“联合公民诉联邦选举委员会案”的裁决打开政治捐款闸门之后，非法“暗钱”持续涌入选举，不断创造新的纪录。2010年中期选举的“暗钱”为1600万美元，2014年中期选举的“暗钱”增加到5300万美元。到2018年中期选举，候选人以外的外部团体花费的“暗钱”剧增到9800万美元。在外部团体为影响国会选举而播放的电视广告中，超过40%是秘密捐赠者资助的。
In addition to publicly registered election funds, a large amount of secret funds and “dark money” have also been injected into the US election activities. As reported by National Broadcasting Company (NBC) News in 2018, as the United States Department of the Treasury (USDT) announced that it would no longer require most non-profit organizations to report their source of donations, the transparency of election funding would be significantly reduced. Back in 2010, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued a ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission¹, loosening restrictions on political donations. Since then, “dark money” has kept flooding into the US elections, constantly creating new records. The “dark money” that flooded into the 2010 midterm election was $16 million, and that in the 2014 midterm elections increased to $53 million. During the 2018 midterm election, the “dark money” spent by outside groups other than those of the candidates skyrocketed to $98 million. Over 40 percent of TV commercials broadcast by these outside groups to influence congressional elections are funded by secret donors.
二、金钱政治是美国资本主义制度的必然产物
2. Money politics is an inevitable result of the US capitalist system.
美国是资本主义国家。美国民主制度是实现资产阶级统治的政治形式，因此必然体现资本家意志，为资本家利益服务。美国民主制度的最大特点是选举。通过选举把符合资产阶级要求的政治人物推上国家领导职位，行使国家权力。为此，美国设计了一套精巧的政治体系和选举制度，对候选人和选民进行层层筛选，以保证那些让富人满意的人当选。最初，美国对选民资格进行种种限制，剥夺大批美国公民（如少数族裔和妇女）的选举权。后来，金钱越来越成为资产阶级控制选举的最重要手段。进入20世纪后，尤其是20世纪60年代以后，随着大众传媒的普及和发展，金钱在选举中的地位不断上升。金钱是个选择器，可以用来淘汰来自底层的政治参与者，使得穷人代表根本难以成为候选人。富人通过资助竞选经费的方式挑选合格的政治代理人，使他们成为候选人，进而赢得选战。在这种制度设计下，经济利益与政治权力的链接是天作之合。富人的经济利益需要通过选举参与政治来保障，政治人物需要借助金钱来进行选举。富人为了维护他们在国家公共资源分配中的优势地位，有很强的动力主动介入政治运作，寻求从联邦到地方政府的各级代言人。他们拥有最大份额的社会财富，可以满足政治人物的资金要求。政治人物可以充当富人的政治代表。而随着传播技术的发展，政治人物必须占有更多金钱才能参与一场正常的选举，进而赢得选举。于是金钱极为容易地充当了政党政治“链条”中的起点与终点。美国两大政党候选人不过是资产阶级内部不同派别的代表罢了。
The United States is a capitalist country, and US democracy is a political form through which the bourgeois rules. Given this, US democracy naturally reflects the will of the capitalists and serves their interests. The most distinctive feature of US democracy is elections. Through elections, politicians who meet the requirements of the bourgeoisie are promoted to national leadership positions to exercise state power. To achieve this goal, the United States has designed a sophisticated political and electoral system to screen candidates and voters at various levels to ensure that only those who satisfy the needs of the rich people are elected. Initially, the United States imposed restrictions on voter eligibility, depriving large numbers of US citizens (such as those from racial minority groups and women) of the right to vote. Later, money gradually became the most important means for the bourgeoisie to control elections. After entering the 20th century, especially after the 1960s, with the popularity and development of the mass media, the status of money in elections continued to rise. Money is a selector that eliminates political participants from the bottom of society by making it difficult for the representatives of the poor to become candidates. The rich people choose their qualified political agents and make them candidates and winners of elections by funding campaigns. Due to this system design, the connection between economic interests and political power is naturally close. By participating in political elections, the rich people acquire political guarantees for their economic interests. With the help of money, politicians are able to run in elections. In order to maintain their dominant position in the distribution of national resources, the rich have a strong incentive to intervene in political operations and seek their spokespersons in governments at all levels from the federal level to the local level. As the rich people have the largest share of social wealth, they can meet the funding requirements of politicians and turn them into their political representatives. With the development of communication technology, politicians need more money to participate in and win a normal election. Money, therefore, becomes the starting point and ending point of this “chain” of party politics. Candidates of the two major political parties in the United States are merely representatives of different factions within the bourgeoisie.
利益集团的活动生动诠释了金钱政治的内涵。利益集团指的是一些有共同政治目的、经济利益、社会背景的团体和个人为了最大限度地实现其共同目的、利益而结成的同盟。美国宪法第一修正案是利益集团得以合法存在和开展活动的最高法律依据。利益集团的宗旨是参与权力运作过程，影响公权力部门制定相关政策，以维护和扩张自己的利益。美国独特的政治体制，如联邦和州分权的联邦制，立法、行政和司法三权分立的制度，为利益集团提供了广阔空间，使它们可以向各级政府施加压力，左右美国政治。利益集团已深深嵌入美国行政机构、国会和司法系统之中，与政党和政府并列为美国政治的三大支柱。利益集团的活动方式有很多种，如提供资金、直接介入选举过程、帮助特定候选人赢得选举等，从而影响国会立法和未来政府决策；通过刊登广告、发表广播和电视演说、召开新闻发布会、制作影片等方式制造舆论，影响政府决策；对立法者和政府决策者进行游说，直接影响政府政策。美国的政府决策和国会立法是各利益集团博弈的结果。
The activities of interest groups vividly explain the connotation of money politics. Interest groups refer to alliances formed by groups and individuals who have common political goals, economic interests, and social backgrounds for the purpose of maximizing their common goals and interests. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution has conferred the supreme legal validity upon interest groups. The purpose of interest groups is to participate in the power operation process and induce public power departments to formulate relevant policies to safeguard and expand their interests. The unique political system of the United States featuring the two-tiered federal system and the separation of legislative, executive, and judicial powers provides ample space for interest groups, making it possible for them to exert pressure on governments at all levels to influence US politics. Interest groups have struck deep roots in the US administration, Congress, and judicial system. Interest groups, political parties, and governments have become the three pillars of US politics. There are many ways for interest groups to operate. They can affect congressional legislation and future government decisions by providing funds, directly participating in the election process and helping certain candidates win elections; they can create public opinion and influence government decision-making by advertising, giving radio and television speeches, holding press conferences, producing movies, and adopting other methods; and they can exert a direct influence on government decisions by lobbying legislators and decision-makers. Decisions of the US government and congressional legislation are often the result of the competition among different interest groups.
利益集团就是金钱政治的标本。利益集团的活动处处离不开金钱，是联结金钱与权力的枢纽，其功能就是将金钱转化为政治影响力。利益集团的资金越充沛，它的政治影响力就越大，而金钱绝大部分掌握在富人手中。穷人也可以组成利益集团，但由于财政资源有限，注定不会发挥很大影响。真正能够发挥较大影响的还是一些企业集团或行业性组织，因为只有这些利益集团拥有足够的资金。例如，在2000年至2010年间，美国企业花在选举上的资金是工会的10倍。虽然2010年后企业和工会的政治支出限额取消了，但许多工会组织已达到其支付能力上限，无力进一步增加政治支出。相反，企业的政治花费急剧增加，影响力迅速扩大。企业加大政治投入当然是为了在政策制定中尽可能放大自身利益。
Interest groups are a typical example of money politics, and their activities are inseparable from money. Activities of the interest groups are the “hub” that connects money and power, and their function is to convert money into political influence. With more abundant funds, an interest group will enjoy greater political influence, and most of the money is in the hands of the rich. Poor people can also form their own interest groups, but due to limited financial resources, their interest groups can never exert much influence. It is the enterprise groups or industry organizations that can really exert great influence. This is because these interest groups have sufficient funds. For instance, between 2000 and 2010, US enterprises spent 10 times as much on elections as US labor unions did. After 2010, the expenditure limitations on the political spending of enterprises and labor unions were lifted. Under such circumstances, many labor unions are still unable to increase their political spending as they have reached the upper limit of their capacity to pay. On the contrary, enterprises’ political expenses have increased sharply, and their political influence has expanded rapidly. By increasing their political investment, enterprises of course plan to maximize their own interests in policy-making.
游说是金钱政治的重要实现方式。游说是一种美国特有的政治现象，游说腐败是美国政治制度与生俱来的痼疾。游说的法理依据是美国宪法第一修正案。根据宪法第一修正案的精神，美国制定了将游说活动合法化的法律。1938年的《外国代理人登记法》、1946年的《联邦游说管理法》、1995年的《游说公开法》和1998年的《游说公开技术法》形成了规范游说活动的法律体系。根据这些法律，美国允许各群体结成利益集团，相互竞争，影响国会立法和政府决策。因此，政治游说是美国政治过程不可缺少的一个环节。各利益集团雇佣说客，对国会议员及其助手进行游说，影响法案的制定和修改，谋求自身利益。40多年来，美国游说业发展迅猛，呈爆炸性增长态势。1971年，美国仅有175个注册说客，到1981年增加到2500个，2009年又增加到13700个。这意味着，平均每位美国参众两院的议员身边，有20多名说客出没。据不完全统计，在华盛顿的游说公司约有2000多家。利益集团在说客身上的花费与日俱增，1998年为14.4亿美元，2011年已狂飙至33.3亿美元，14年间增长幅度达131%。
Lobbying is an important way to implement money politics. Lobbying is a political phenomenon peculiar to the United States, and lobbying-induced corruption is an inherent dysfunction of the US political system. The legal basis of lobbying is the First Amendment to the US Constitution. In the spirit of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, the United States has formulated laws that legalize lobbying activities. The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) of 1938, the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946, the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) of 1995, and the Lobbying Disclosure Technical Amendments Act of 1998 form the legal system that regulates lobbying activities. Under these laws, the United States allows groups of people to form interest groups and compete against one another, affecting congressional legislation and government decisions. Therefore, political lobbying becomes an integral part of the US political process. Interest groups hire lobbyists to lobby members of the US Congress and their aides, influence the formulation and amendment of bills, and seek their own interests. Over the past 40-odd years, the lobbying industry in the United States has developed rapidly, showing explosive growth. In 1971, there were only 175 registered lobbyists in the United States, but the number quickly increased to 2,500 in 1981 and to 13,700 in 2009. This means that, on average, each member of the US Congress, including the House of Representatives and the Senate, is lobbied by more than 20 lobbyists. According to available (and incomplete) statistics, there are more than 2,000 lobbying companies in Washington D.C. Interest groups’ spending on lobbyists is increasing day by day, reaching $1.44 billion in 1998 and soaring to $3.33 billion in 2011, with a growth rate of 131 percent over those 14 years.
三、美国金钱政治的制度化形式
3. The institutionalized system of US money politics has come into being.
19世纪后期，美国的金钱政治发展成为“政治分肥”制度。竞争获胜的政党通常将官位分配给为选举做出贡献的人，主要是本党主要骨干和提供竞选经费的金主。“政治分肥”造成政治腐败蔓延，官员贪污舞弊，行政效率低下。自20世纪初开始，美国试图对政治捐献做出一些限制，但没有改变美国民主制度的金钱政治本质。制度调整永远为金钱政治留下漏洞和后门，实际使金钱政治取得合法地位。
In the late 19th century, US money politics developed into a “pork-barreling” political system. The political party that wins the competition usually gives official positions to those who have contributed to the election campaign, mainly the backbone of the political party and the funders who provide campaign funds for the party. “Pork barreling” has led to the spread of corruption in the political sector and among the officials, and it has also decreased the administrative efficiency. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the United States has tried to impose some restrictions on political contributions, but it has never changed the very nature of US democracy, which is money politics. The adjustments to the systems always leave loopholes and backdoors for money politics, and actually give money politics a legal status.
第一，“超级筹款人”制度合法规避捐款限额。“超级筹款人”是拥有大量财富和社会关系的人，比如企业高管、对冲基金管理人、演艺界明星或说客。他们人脉多，神通广大，能利用个人关系网把大量小额捐款人凑在一起，为候选人短时间内筹集大量资金。在2016年美国总统选举中，民主党候选人希拉里·克林顿个人筹款金额中的三分之一是由1000个“超级筹款人”帮助完成的。同时，“超级筹款人”制度还能绕过法律有关捐款限额的规定，将总额超限的捐款划到许多人头下面，使其符合个人捐款上限，最后才捆绑在一起捐给某位候选人。接受捆绑捐款的候选人，自然知道谁是真正的金主。这使得富豪和大企业能轻易地用金钱换取政治影响力。
First, the “super-fundraiser” system can legally avoid donation limits. A “super fundraiser” is someone who has a lot of wealth and social connections, such as corporate executives, hedge fund managers, showbiz stars, or lobbyists. They have many connections and resources, and are able to use their personal networks to bring together a large number of small donors to raise a lot of funds for a candidate within a short period of time. For instance, in the 2016 US presidential election, 1,000 “super fundraisers” helped the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, to collect one-third of the personal donations for her campaign. Under the “super-fundraiser” system, a big personal donation that surpasses the limit can be divided into smaller parts that are under the limit and put under other persons’ names. That is how big donations become legalized. A candidate who receives these kinds of donations is clear about who provided him or her with such big donations. This makes it easy for the affluent people and large enterprises to trade money for political influence.
第二，联邦最高法院裁决取消对“软钱”的限制。2002年的《两党竞选改革法》限制了那些通过捐给政党来支持特定候选人的“软钱”，即不受《联邦竞选法》限制但又用于影响联邦选举的资金。但是，这个法律受到持续挑战。2007年，联邦最高法院对“威斯康星州‘生命权利’组织诉联邦选举委员会案”做出裁决，认定《两党竞选改革法》有关限制企业、工会和贸易团体资助特定选举广告的条款违反了宪法第一修正案关于言论自由的规定。2010年，联邦最高法院在“联合公民诉联邦选举委员会案”的裁决中，认定《两党竞选改革法》关于竞选最后阶段限制公司、工会以营利或非营利的目的资助联邦选举候选人的相关规定违反宪法中的言论自由原则。这一裁决将《两党竞选改革法》的内容否决殆尽，使得“软钱”可以合法地大规模进入选举活动，打开了金钱肆意流入政治的闸门。2014年，联邦最高法院在“麦卡沃恩诉联邦选举委员会案”的裁决中大幅放宽了对政治捐款的限制，在保留个人对单个候选人捐助上限为2600美元的情况下，取消个人对全体联邦候选人及政党委员会的捐款总额限制。这意味着，富人可以同时捐助很多联邦候选人，更可以无限制地向自己支持的政党捐款。
Second, the SCOTUS has ruled to lift restrictions on “soft money”. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002 restricted “soft money” donated to political parties to support specific candidates, namely the donations that were not restricted by the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) but used to influence federal elections. Nevertheless, this Act has been challenged constantly. In 2007, the SCOTUS ruled in Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., that the provisions of the BCRA, which restrict corporations, unions, and trade groups from funding certain advertising by political parties, violate the First Amendment’s provisions on the freedom of speech. In 2010, the SCOTUS ruled in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that provisions of the BCRA, which restrict corporations and unions from funding federal election candidates for or not for profit during the final stage of the campaign, violate the principle of freedom of expression in the US Constitution. This ruling completely vetoed the contents of the BCRA, allowing “soft money” to legally enter elections on a large scale and letting money to wantonly rush into the political sector. In 2014, the SCOTUS’ ruling in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission significantly relaxed restrictions on political contributions. It removed limits on the total amount of contributions made by an individual to federal candidates and political party committees while retaining the $2,600 limit on an individual’s donation to a candidate. This means that the wealthy people can donate to many federal candidates at the same time, and they can donate unlimitedly to the political party they support.
第三，超级政治行动委员会是金钱政治最重要的表现形式。除了直接向候选人和政党提供政治捐款外，美国富人和企业还可以通过超级政治行动委员会来进行政治捐赠。政治行动委员会产生于20世纪30年代，是一种由企业或独立政治团体组成的政治筹款机构，主要是为了规避美国法律对个人和机构政治捐款的限制。它们从许多个人手中收集金钱，然后决定为哪些候选人捐款。政治行动委员会与大公司和特定利益集团关系密切，代表它们进行造势宣传，支持或反对某位候选人，实际上是大公司和利益集团参与选举的“白手套”。1971年《联邦选举法》通过后，政治行动委员会由于限制较少而进入大发展时期。大量企业、个人和利益集团的金钱通过政治行动委员会管道参与竞选。2010年联邦最高法院的裁决取消了企业与个人向独立支出的政治行动委员会的捐款上限。由此，政治行动委员会进入鼎盛时期，大量超级政治行动委员会应运而生。根据无党派非营利研究机构“政治责任中心”的数据，截至2016年8月8日，美国登记注册的超级政治行动委员会有2316个。超级政治行动委员会有强大的募款实力，在各个方面对选举产生影响，尤其是企业和富豪可以将自己手中的资金无限制地投入超级政治行动委员会，从而间接影响选举。在2016年总统选举中，获得捐款最多的超级政治行动委员会是支持民主党候选人希拉里·克林顿的“美国优先行动”，达到1.76亿美元。富豪索罗斯向“美国优先行动”捐款600万美元，而对冲基金管理人托马斯·斯泰尔更向支持希拉里的超级政治行动委员会提供5700万美元捐款。
Third, super political action committees (PACs) are the most important manifestation of money politics. In addition to making political contributions directly to candidates and political parties, the wealthy class and corporations of the United States can also make political donations through super PACs. PACs came into being in the 1930s. A PAC is a political committee consisting of corporations and independent political groups, and it is organized for the purpose of raising political donations and circumventing limits on personal and corporate donations, which are imposed by relevant regulations of US laws. A PAC collects money from many individuals and then decides on the candidates it donates to. As it is closely related to certain large corporations and specific interest groups, a PAC often launches publicity campaigns to support or oppose a certain candidate and participates in elections on behalf of these corporations and interest groups. After the release of the Federal Election Campaign Act in 1971, PACs entered a period of vigorous development due to fewer restrictions. A large amount of money from corporations, individuals, and interest groups participates in the elections through the channels offered by PACs. In 2010, a ruling of the SCOTUS removed the limit on corporate and individual contributions to independent PACs. Because of this, PACs have entered their heyday, and a large number of super PACs came into being. According to data from the Political Responsibility Center, a non-partisan, non-profit research organization, as of August 8, 2016, there were 2,316 super PACs registered in the United States. Super PACs have strong fundraising capacity and exert influence on every aspect of an election. Corporations and wealthy people can inject their funds into super PACs without restrictions to indirectly affect an election. In the 2016 presidential election, the super PAC that received the most donations, which amounted to as much as $176 million, was Priorities USA Action, which was in support of the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Soros, the super-rich US investor, donated $6 million to Priorities USA Action, and Thomas Steyer, a hedge fund manager, contributed $57 million to another super PAC in support of Hillary Clinton.
四、金钱政治后果恶劣
4. Money politics brings serious consequences.
第一，金钱政治剥夺了普通民众的政治权利。尽管美国经常炫耀一人一票的美式民主，但美国低收入者的投票权实际上受到严苛限制。据《美国新闻与世界报道》披露，2010年至2015年，美国有21个州通过了限制投票权的新法律，有14个州在2016年总统选举中实施了限制投票权行使的新措施。这些法律和措施的主旨是阻止穷人登记投票。美国《新闻周刊》网站2017年11月21日报道，成千上万的美国人因贫穷而被剥夺了投票权。已有9个州通过立法，剥夺任何未付律师费或法院罚款者的投票权。仅在亚拉巴马州，就有超过10万名欠费者被剔除出选民名单，约占该州选民人口的3%。这导致美国选举投票率降低。美国2014年中期选举的投票率为20世纪40年代以来的最低，全国的平均投票率仅为37%。
First, money politics deprives ordinary people of their political rights. Although the United States often shows off its “one person, one vote” US-style democracy, the reality is that the voting rights of low-income US citizens are severely restricted. As reported by U.S. News & World Report, from 2010 to 2015, 21 states in the United States formulated new laws restricting voting rights, and 14 states implemented new measures to restrict the exercise of voting rights in the 2016 presidential election. The main purpose of these laws and measures was to prevent the poor from registering to vote. As reported by the website of Newsweek on November 21, 2017, thousands of US citizens have been deprived of their voting rights because of poverty. Nine states in the United States have passed legislation depriving the citizens in arrears with attorney fees or court fines of the right to vote. In Alabama alone, more than 100,000 US citizens in arrears have been removed from the voter list, accounting for approximately three percent of the state’s voter population. This has led to a lower turnout in US elections. The turnout rate slumped to its lowest level since the 1940s during the 2014 US midterm election, where the national average turnout rate was only 37 percent.
第二，政府官职成为富人和上层阶级的禁脔。按照美国政治惯例，获得选举胜利的候选人通常会把一些政府官职奖赏给那些选举有功人士，其中就包括捐款大户和重要筹款人。美国历任总统上任后，都会任命一批金主当驻外大使。2000年总统选举后，政府中三分之一的新职位被胜选总统的亲友和金主接掌。2008年总统选举时支持胜选总统的556名“超级筹款人”中，三分之一的人都在时任政府内阁中获得职位或者成为顾问，其中筹款超过50万美元的筹款人有近80%都获得了重要职位。
Second, government posts have become exclusive for rich people and the upper class. According to the US political practices, after winning an election, the elected candidate will usually reward those persons who have made significant contributions to the election campaign, such as major donors and fundraisers, with government posts. After taking office, the newly elected US president will usually appoint a group of major donors as ambassadors. After the 2000 presidential election, one-third of the new positions in the government were taken over by relatives, friends, and major donors of the winning president. Among the 556 “super fundraisers” who supported the winning president in the 2008 presidential election campaign, one-third of them obtained government posts or became consultants in the then administration, and 80 percent of the fundraisers who raised more than $500,000 obtained important positions.
第三，金钱政治明目张胆地向富人输送利益。政治献金带来的一个恶果是，少数富人拥有了比绝大多数人更大的影响力，导致政府政策图利富人、损害穷人利益。金钱影响立法和政府决策。富人通过竞选捐款和利益回报承诺俘获政客，使政客代表他们的利益立法。通过金钱选举产生的总统和政府，必定会在制定政策时向有钱人倾斜，或明或暗地向资本输送利益。这是一种变相的权钱交易。众所周知，2017年上任的共和党政府是富人政府。美国国会2017年通过的《减税与就业法案》，虽然有“减税”之名，但并非普遍减税，而只是给富人和大企业减税，穷人反而要加税。根据这个法案，一方面，富人家庭缴纳所得税的税率大幅降低，从39.6%降至35%，足足降低了4.6个百分点；另一方面，最贫穷家庭缴纳所得税的税率却从10%增加到12%。这个法案使最贫穷家庭遭受金钱损失，最富有家庭获得巨大收益。2017年底的盖洛普民调显示，56%的美国人反对这一税收改革法案，支持的只有29%。就企业税收而言，《减税与就业法案》把大型集团公司和上市企业等股份有限公司的所得税税率从35%下调至20%，降低了15个百分点，幅度很大，但受益企业仅占美国全部企业总数的8.6%。相反，占企业总数90%以上的个人独资企业和合伙企业等小企业却无法享受减税政策，需要根据合格经营所得征收个人所得税，允许抵扣20%收入，适用最高边际税率37%。金钱政治蚕食了社会平等，从根本上腐蚀了美国的社会公正。
Third, money politics is blatantly delivering benefits to the rich. A negative consequence of political contributions is that the rich people, who are fewer in number, have greater influence than the vast majority of the people, leading to the formulation of government policies that benefit the rich and harm the interests of the poor. As money affects legislation and government decisions, the rich people can make politicians serve them through campaign donations and promises of the return of benefits and legislate on their behalf. The presidents and administrations elected with the help of money will definitely favor the rich when formulating policies, and they will openly or implicitly pass on benefits to the rich. This is a disguised transaction of money and power. It is a well-known fact that the Republican administration taking office in 2017 is an administration representing the rich class of the United States. The Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA), adopted by the US Congress in 2017, claimed to reduce taxes, but it was not aimed to carry out an across-the-board tax cut. The FUTA has only cut taxes for the rich class and large corporations. It has even increased taxes for the poor people. Under the FUTA, the income tax rate for rich families has been greatly reduced from 39.6 percent to 35 percent, a significant reduction of 4.6 percentage points, and the income tax rate for the poorest families has been increased from 10 percent to 12 percent. That is how this Act has benefited the richest families while harming the economic interests of the poorest families. A Gallup poll conducted at the end of 2017 showed that 56 percent of US citizens surveyed opposed the FUTA, and only 29 percent supported it. As to corporate tax, the FUTA reduced the income tax rate of joint-stock companies, such as large corporations and listed companies, from 35 percent to 20 percent, a remarkable reduction of 15 percentage points. Nevertheless, only 8.6 percent of the US enterprises can benefit from this tax reduction policy, and about 90 percent of the US companies, which are small enterprises such as sole-proprietorship enterprises and partnership enterprises, cannot benefit from it. Under the FUTA, owners of these small enterprises may have to pay personal income tax at the top rate, which is 37 percent, and only 20 percent deduction can be calculated on their taxable income. Money politics erodes social equality and fundamentally undermines social justice in the United States.
第四，金钱政治增加解决紧迫政治社会问题的难度。在美国，枪支泛滥、枪支暴力是一个困扰社会多年的重大政治社会问题。校园枪杀案和公共场所枪杀案等大规模枪支暴力案件时有发生。美国每年有3万多人死于枪支造成的他杀、事故和自杀，有1万多人死于枪支暴力，有20多万人因枪击受伤。如果严格控制枪支，这些伤亡大多可以避免。但是，美国步枪协会等反对控枪的利益集团通过介入选举和进行游说成功地瓦解了控枪努力。这些利益集团为美国总统选举和国会选举提供大量政治捐款，仅2010年至2018年间就通过政治行动委员会捐款1.13亿美元。美国步枪协会是美国主要的反控枪组织，也是美国最有影响力的院外游说组织，每年运营经费高达2.5亿美元，竞选年份经费更多。由于投入大量金钱，以美国步枪协会为代表的美国反枪支管制利益集团取得了巨大成功，几乎封杀了所有控枪法案，使美国枪支管制更加宽松。
Fourth, money politics makes it more difficult for the United States to solve its pressing political and social problems. In the United States, the proliferation of guns and gun violence are major political and social problems, which have plagued US society for many years. Mass shooting incidents in schools and other public places frequently occur. Every year in the United States, more than 30,000 people die from homicides, accidents, and suicides caused by guns; more than 10,000 people die from gun violence; and more than 200,000 people are injured by guns. Most of these deaths and injuries would have been avoided if guns had been strictly controlled during these years. Nevertheless, interest groups such as the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), who oppose gun control, have successfully disrupted the governmental gun control efforts by participating in elections and lobbying. These interest groups have made significant political contributions to the US presidential and congressional elections. They donated $113 million through PACs between 2010 and 2018 alone. The NRA is the main anti-gun control organization in the United States and the most influential outside lobbying organization in the country. Its annual operating expenses are as high as $250 million, and this number will increase in a campaign year. Due to the large amount of money they have invested, the anti-gun control interest groups represented by the NRA have achieved great success and thwarted nearly all the gun control bills, further relaxing US gun control.
金钱政治暴露美国社会本质。美国一直标榜自己是民主和人权的“楷模”，要全世界都向它学习。但是，无所不在、根深蒂固的金钱政治彻底戳破了美国的谎言。美式民主是富人和资本家的民主，跟下层民众没有多少关系。美国宪法规定的民主权利，只有口袋里有足够多金钱的人才能享受。在金钱支配政治的美国，没有金钱，一切关于政治参与的议论都是空谈。金钱政治无情地碾压了“美式人权”。
Money politics exposes the nature of US society and the lies of the United States when it is praising itself as the best example of exercising democracy and safeguarding human rights for the world. “US-style democracy” is the democracy of the rich people and the capitalists. It seldom benefits the lower classes of US society. The democratic rights stipulated in the US Constitution can only be enjoyed by the people who have enough money in their pockets. In the United States, where money governs politics, political participation and discussions can never be actualized without the help of money. Money politics has ruthlessly crushed “US-style democracy”.
