A bulwark against the Super PACs: The Internet

[Commentary] Money and politics have always gone hand in hand. But this year, we are witnessing the first presidential election in which big corporations can contribute unlimited funds to media campaigns that directly support or attack candidates. In this brave new world, big money donors are coloring voters’ views of candidates which can make or break political careers at an unprecedented scale. The influence of big money interests continues once candidates are elected, with all of the access money can buy.

We must work to fix the massive structural issues that have allowed big money to distort our political landscape. But in the meantime, we also need to find ways to level the playing field for everyone. And that means protecting today’s greatest equalizer: the Internet. Now more than ever, Internet access is critical to ensure that everyone can participate in our flawed but salvageable democracy. We need fair and equitable policies that extend Internet access so that everyone in the United States can actively engage in the debates that affect their lives.

[Bhargava is executive director of the Center for Community Change and Brunner is director of the Media Democracy Fund.]