Transcription
In 2008, which is the cycle right before Citizens United, billionaires spent $16 million to influence the election. In 2024, billionaires, just people who are billionaires out there, spent $2.6 billion to influence the election. But I don't think people really understand millions versus billions. I think it's hard for our for us to grasp.
But to put that in an easier way, so in 2008, if billionaires gave a million dollars a day, it only took them 16 days to hit that. In 2024, if they gave a million dollars a day, to hit $2.6 billion, it would take them seven years. Seven years of giving a million dollars a day every single day. We are not in just a little bit more money.
In California, in the cycle before Citizens United, the most ex the most outside spending in a congressional race was 1.9 million, I believe. In 2024, it was $35 million for a congressional race, right? And so, you're seeing these scopes and um what it means is that number one, it limits who can run for office. Number two, it limits what folks can do when they get into office.
As soon when you say you want to run for Congress, the first two things you are asked is how much money can you raise? Can you take two years off of your job to just do this full-time? Because th those are that's completely normal, right? Um and then when you get there, if you're lucky enough to get there, instead of figuring out what committees you're going to be on or what policy you want to enact first or what your district needs, you're told to go raise money for 30 hours a week, which means you're missing committee hearings. You're missing meetings with constituents. You're not you're not writing the legislation because the lobbyists are writing it. You are doing nothing but on a phone asking for money for your reelection. That is not how our our system is supposed to work.