Griffin Snow ~ Chapter 8 ~ Question 6

My favorite part of the chapter, and the most interesting part, was on the last couple pages. When speaking about campaign finance reform at the end of the chapter, Wheelan said that the money is only one method for grabbing the attention of politicians, but people are able to still hire lobbyists, hold meetings, write letters, threaten hunger strikes, and so on. Small, dedicated groups are able to get a lot done, especially if the opposition is not as organized as you are or just do not care as much about the subject as you do. It was made clear that motivation is important in a campaign, just as much as money is. On the very last page of the chapter, Bob Kerrey, a former senator, told The New Yorker that he will not tell the public anything that doesn't make them like him. "If I had a choice between getting a round of applause by delivering a 26 second applause line and getting a round of boos by telling you the truth, I'd rather get the round of applause." This makes me question a lot of politicians, campaigning or not.