Riebe 1

Colin Riebe
Mrs. DeBock
English 4 Honors
18 February 2016
Essential Question: How does money corrupt the American political system?
Working Thesis: Money corrupts the American political system by bribing people to vote a
certain way.
Refined thesis: Due to businesses bribing, the availability of bribery, and how politicians need
money in order to campaign are the factors in how money causes corruption in the American
political system.
Annotated Bibliography
Kirkpatrick, David D. "Does Corporate Money Lead to Political Corruption?" The New York
Times. The New York Times, 23 Jan. 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
The article Does Corporate Money Lead to Political Corruption? goes into the Supreme
Court decision of banning the regulations that prohibited corporations from buying campaign
commercials during elections. The article talks about both sides reactions to this ruling, though it
seems takes the side of the ruling. The article mostly talks about the side that is for the ruling,
and things that justify it. It doesnt talk much about how it does actually corrupt the political
system. This article is relevant to the research as it give some opposing viewpoints to the
question at hand.
Lessig, Lawrence Republic Lost. Twelve Books, 2011. Print

Riebe 2

The book Republic Lost explains how Congress is corrupted by money, and how its able
to be fixed. The book goes on to say that the cause of this was because of people who had good
intentions. The issue of campaign financing and how that is a large part of the corruption is
brought up. The book uses analogies to help people understand the issues. The book gives a
roadmap of how to help Congress return to the uncorrupted state it was once in. This book is
helpful to the research because it explains how the government has become so corrupted, and it
tries to give a way that could return it back to the way it was.
Page, Benjamin I. "How Money Corrupts American Politics." How Money Corrupts American
Politics. Scholar Strategy Network, Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
The article How Money Corrupts American Politics. discusses how in American
politics, money is essential to any campaign. The author elaborates on the fact that raising money
for the campaign is essential for candidates to even stand a lick of a chance in the running. The
need for money filters out many of the candidates, and without it, candidates are more likely to
lose the election. The candidates change their views and priorities so they will be able to get
more sponsors for their campaigns. If money wasnt a factor in elections, more politicians would
stand a better chance in elections. This article helps prove that money is a necessity for any
election.
Schwarts, Jon. ""Yes, We're Corrupt": A List of Politicians Admitting That Money Controls
Politics." The Intercept. The Intercept, 30 July 2015. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
The article Yes, Were Corrupt: A List of Politicians Admitting That Money
Controls Politics. is about the politicians who will admit the fact that money does control
politics. The article lists the politicians and what they had said about the matter. The list covers

Riebe 3

Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Russ Feingold, even former president Jimmy Carter, as well as
many others. This article is important to the research because it shows that actual politicians
know, and are admitting to using money in politics.
Tremblay, Rodrigue The Corrupt Influence of Money in the American Political System.
Globalresearch.ca 8 Mar.2012. Website source. 17 Feb 2016.
The article The Corrupt Influence of Money in the American Political System. talks
about the new electoral financing rule that was decreed by the Supreme Court in 2010, and how
this changes the way campaigns are. The article goes into how this is legalized corruption, and
how it will cause damage to the political system. This decree is violating two basic human
rights, according to the article. The article goes on to say that people know that the candidates
seem to get worse and worse. The article gives the example of the 2012 election. Due to the
money, the candidate who gets more money from donors is able to get more time in media to talk
bad about their competitors. This article helps expose the corruption that money is creating in
American politics.