Study: Popular movements strangled by influence of the wealthy elite in Congress [View all]

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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/18/study-popular-movements-strangled-by-influence-of-the-wealthy-elite-in-congress/



Study: Popular movements strangled by influence of the wealthy elite in Congress
By Travis Gettys
Friday, April 18, 2014 12:19 EDT

A forthcoming study found that ordinary citizens exert little influence on the political process, even when they form coalitions to compete against corporate interests.

~snip~

“The basic idea is that maybe ordinary citizens don’t have a whole lot of influence on their own, but they’re represented by groups,” said co-author Benjamin Page, a Northwestern University political science professor.

He said, in theory, everyone ought to be represented “pretty well” in the U.S. political system, but “it turns out that’s just not true.”

“Mass-based interest groups have much less influence than corporations and business-oriented groups,” Page said. “If you like the idea of democracy, it’s got to be a little disturbing.”