In the middle of a presidential election featuring the two least popular candidates in modern history, it’s easy to forget that Americans’ distaste for politics long predated 2016. And while half the electorate fumes at Donald Trump’s latest insults, and the other half condemns Hillary Clinton’s ethical myopia, it’s just as easy to overlook the day-to-day outrages that have made such large numbers of voters so contemptuous of their leaders.
Many factors have propelled Trump’s candidacy, but one major cause is widespread revulsion toward a pay-to-play system in which contributors are rewarded with access to the politicians of their choice. While Clinton is a less likely vehicle for this anger, she has proposed substantial campaign finance reform as part of her platform.
And yet here in California, our elected officials pay little attention to the public disdain for the increasingly transparent link between political fundraising and government action. When it was reported last week that Gov. Jerry Brown was planning private dinners with contributors during the September bill-signing period — in which he decides to sign or veto hundreds of pieces of legislation — almost no one batted an eye.