Essay 232y17

Essay: The role of money and political elites in USA presidential election. As we can see the consequence of the 2016 US presidential election, although the majority of citizens in this country voted for Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump still be a winner notwithstanding. So this meant the right to choose president not totally belong to American citizens. In fact, it mostly depends on money and political elites in the USA. There is no seperating money from politics. Each campaign every two years need vast amount of money and especially this year is the most expensive in history. Recent research reveals that the amount raised by candidates is $1,310 billion and the amout raised by super PACs is $549 million. For more information, Hillary Cliton committee money is $497,808,791 and Donald Trump committee money is $247,541,449.1 (Presidential Race article) This figure included outside like super PACs, lobbist donnors, and bundlers. Do the candidates the electoral race themselves? The answer is no. Behind them is a group of wealthy, intelligent people with powerful and a lot of influence who are willing to vote for them in any cirumstances. In other word, we call those people “political elites”. Becase of the system of electing President bases on the vote of electoral college. And the electoral college is based on a “winner-all-take” system, which means the winner of the majority of votes in each state gets all of that state’s electoral votes. In the Presidential election 2016, Donald Trump win because he receives 306 electoral votes more than the number 232 votes of Hillary Clinton.2(Presidential Results article) Money and political elites have played an import role in any electoral race, especially th 2016 US presidential election. These two elements certaintly make some negative effects on the final consequece. The candidates need money to run their campaign, in this case money just a kind of . But in 2016, we can not underestimate the importance of money in political process, the money wins the election. If the canditates who receive donation form the rich become the winner they will serve for the requirements of the rich, not for the working class anymore. So the US goverment’s motto should be updated to read “...of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich.”3 (John W. Whitehead) In addition, the way of electing depending on political and rich class does not match the hope of working class. The exact example is that while citizens vote for Hillary Clinton, political elites vote for Donald Trump. The structure of electoral college allowed that popular vote of over 700 thousand people turned

out rate of about 1.5 million of people be ignored and handed the presidency to Donald Trump.4 Eventually, the power and influence still belong to the wealthy. To sum up, the 2016 US presidential election resulted in contradiction. Many American still dream of something miracle at 19/12/2016. Whoever will be the President we all want he or she will devote their willingness for America and American. ----------------------------------1

2016 Presidential Race, 29 November 2016

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Presidential result, 29 November 2016, John W. Whitehead, “Government of the Rich, by the Rich and for the Rich: It’s Time for ‘Militant Nonviolent Resistance’”, 29 November 2016, 3