In the recall election in Wisconsin, Republicans outspent Democrats 7-1. Guess who won. A hundred years ago even Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican, know that big money can buy elections. This is not rocket science, folks — its simple common sense about basic human nature. That’s why TR helped pass the law limiting contributions by corporations to Federal elections — a law recently struck down by The Supreme Court in its Citizens United ruling.

Voters can be bought, and that’s never going to change.  You have to go after the people who try to buy them.  You have to criminalize their actions, as TR did.  If buying elections is not a crime in a democracy, then the idea of democracy has no meaning at all.