Never before has there been a clearer example of the huge rift between Donald Trump and President Barack Obama than this one tweet:
Obama's AMA vs. Trump's AMA, h/t @reddit pic.twitter.com/LpKkpFr2jJ
— Cooper Fleishman (@_Cooper) July 28, 2016
In separate Reddit “Ask Me Anything” sessions, Trump (on Wednesday) and Obama (in 2012) were asked about reducing the power of money in politics, but each gave vastly different answers.
Money has always been a factor in politics, but we are seeing something new in the no-holds barred flow of seven and eight figure checks, most undisclosed, into super-PACs; they fundamentally threaten to overwhelm the political process over the long run and drown out the voices of ordinary citizens. We need to start with passing the Disclose Act that is already written and been sponsored in Congress - to at least force disclosure of who is giving to who. We should also pass legislation prohibiting the bundling of campaign contributions from lobbyists. Over the longer term, I think we need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional amendment process to overturn Citizens United (assuming the Supreme Court doesn't revisit it). Even if the amendment process falls short, it can shine a spotlight of the super-PAC phenomenon and help apply pressure for change.
Whether you agree with him or not, Obama clearly put thought into his answer, going into specific policy solutions for the issue.
Keeping Crooked Hillary Clinton out of the White House!
That’s it. Trump just insulted Hillary Clinton and gave zero specifics about the topic at hand. (It’s also not at all clear why keeping Clinton out of the White House would stop the influence of money in politics, since Trump is also taking campaign contributions.)
So if you were wondering how President Trump would differ from President Obama, there’s one answer.
