Palmer State of Play #2

Corporations, acting as individuals, have the power to undermine a democracy as strong as the United States. How is this possible? The process begins with our public officials. Large corporations donate funds to a candidate that they feel would best represent their business and lead them in the direction they want to go. With an unlimited amount of money that corporations can contribute, America can possibly see its first "purchased" public official. Once an official has been "purchased" by a corporation, he or she must reciprocate by steering public legislation in favor of the corporation that helped fund the campaign.

The scene that relates to this "purchasing" concept is Cal's discussion with Congressman Fergus. In this scene, Cal is asking Congressman Fergus about his decision to recommend Sonia Baker for Congressman Collins committee that was investigating PointCorp. Fergus tries to lie about his connection to Sonia. He states that she was the daughter of a family friend. However, he cannot answer Cal when he asks what Sonia's mother's name is. While it is unclear what type of connection Congressman Fergus has to PointCorp, one has to question what other motive he would have for recommending Sonia. Putting the clues together, one has conclude that their is some financial connection between the two.

While this scene is fictional, scenes like this have definitely taken place in real life. With large corporations acting as individuals and having an unlimited amount of money that can contribute to a political campaign, one has to wonder how many of these scenes will play out in our government.