VIRGINIA - Former U.S. Senator James Webb believes that the influence of money in politics is corrupting the process and preventing his campaign from gaining traction in his bid for the Democratic nod.
Webb, a Vietnam War veteran and former Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration, has staked out a fairly centrist platform in his campaign for his party's nomination, but has failed to impact the race significantly thus far.
The former U.S. Senator told The Daily Progress:
"The challenge that we have right now in the current political environment, money dominates the process like it never has before," said Webb, who served as a U.S. senator from Virginia from 2007 until 2013, on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."Webb said he was concerned with the buying power of Super PACs that are funneling most of the $388 million spent on the election this year into the race. Unlike the candidates, PACs are allowed to accept unlimited contributions in support of candidates from almost any source."I don’t believe that Super PACs are ethically supportable concepts," Webb said. "That money ... is affecting our ability to get out and talk."Webb also cited reports that less than 400 families nationwide are responsible for almost half the money raised in the 2016 presidential campaign — an unprecedented concentration of political donors.
Seen as more of a conservative than the rest of his party's contenders, Webb is the only candidate on his side of the aisle to have declared his opposition to the controversial Iran nuclear agreement that President Barack Obama has championed.
No comments:
Post a Comment