A self-made politician can do what they think is right, accountable only to the law and the voters. (Or what they think is wrong, which you hope is weeded out byu voters).
When powerful interests come making demands, they owe then nothing, and can tell them the American people come first.
A classic example of this is when there was a dispute between steel company employees and owners, and JFK mediated the issue reaching a compromise by both sides, getting concessions from workers. And as soon as the deal was done, the companies raised their prices in violation. Kennedy told the country that he'd asked the country to ask what they could do for their country, and he had these companies' answer. Privately he said his father had warned him of businessmen being SOB's.
The steel companies backed down and reduced their prices.
Today's Republicans generally are not independently powerful. The system has been intentionally made to be so dependent on the money and media few have, that politicians owe their offices to these powers and must serve them over the people.
They put on an act to represent the people, but anything the donors want, the donors get. The party enforces this strictly - you do it or you're gone and they all do it (as they agreed to get selected).
It's a pretty simple system - agree to serve the interests, and then the system takes over, the money from the donors flows and buys the media and they're in.
The current tax bill is a good example of how beholden they are - transferring $6 trillion from the American people to the rich and corporations, with voters of both parties seeing the bill for what it is.
When wealthy John Kennedy ran, he worked like nuts, flying with his top aide Ted Sorensen in his small plane to all 50 states in the years before the elections, building support for his candidacy. He earned his power and it was independent.
Republicans wanted to take the government from the people and give it to the wealthy, and by their taking over of the Supreme Court, they have. Now it's billions to raise to win the presidency, huge amounts for Congress.
Almost no one there is there from a direction relationship to their voters, where they work for the voters, almost everyone of them is there because of the big donors. I've seen 98% of a Congressman's contributions come from big donors and almost none from voters - guess who they serve. But for someone who wants to not serve the big donors to run, they have to raise huge sums there's no other good way to raise. Some do it- but they're a minority.
Ironically, one of the few who is relatively free of the big donors is trump - but he just volunteers to serve them anyway.
When powerful interests come making demands, they owe then nothing, and can tell them the American people come first.
A classic example of this is when there was a dispute between steel company employees and owners, and JFK mediated the issue reaching a compromise by both sides, getting concessions from workers. And as soon as the deal was done, the companies raised their prices in violation. Kennedy told the country that he'd asked the country to ask what they could do for their country, and he had these companies' answer. Privately he said his father had warned him of businessmen being SOB's.
The steel companies backed down and reduced their prices.
Today's Republicans generally are not independently powerful. The system has been intentionally made to be so dependent on the money and media few have, that politicians owe their offices to these powers and must serve them over the people.
They put on an act to represent the people, but anything the donors want, the donors get. The party enforces this strictly - you do it or you're gone and they all do it (as they agreed to get selected).
It's a pretty simple system - agree to serve the interests, and then the system takes over, the money from the donors flows and buys the media and they're in.
The current tax bill is a good example of how beholden they are - transferring $6 trillion from the American people to the rich and corporations, with voters of both parties seeing the bill for what it is.
When wealthy John Kennedy ran, he worked like nuts, flying with his top aide Ted Sorensen in his small plane to all 50 states in the years before the elections, building support for his candidacy. He earned his power and it was independent.
Republicans wanted to take the government from the people and give it to the wealthy, and by their taking over of the Supreme Court, they have. Now it's billions to raise to win the presidency, huge amounts for Congress.
Almost no one there is there from a direction relationship to their voters, where they work for the voters, almost everyone of them is there because of the big donors. I've seen 98% of a Congressman's contributions come from big donors and almost none from voters - guess who they serve. But for someone who wants to not serve the big donors to run, they have to raise huge sums there's no other good way to raise. Some do it- but they're a minority.
Ironically, one of the few who is relatively free of the big donors is trump - but he just volunteers to serve them anyway.