of course money influences elections... that's the reason I donate to candidates.... oh i'm sorry, i forgot to word it in the modern liberal fashion.... I meant to say "that's why I bribe candidates"..'cuz we all know that donations are just bribes.. amirite?
money doesn't choose your leaders though... votes do.
you have the personal choice whether to be influenced or not, by any ad or campaign.
my problem with all this campaign finance reform bullsh*t is that you people are still stuck in this tiny tyrannical box of banning money that is freely given... when you should , at the very least, entertain limiting the candidates and politicians themselves by limiting their expenditures and mandating all the extra cash they may have to go into the general account....i don't care if they are given a gazillion bucks by every corporation or union on the planet... if you say they can only spend 5 million, you'll effectively limit donations as well... but it will be the choice of the donators, and not by mandate.
of course everyone else can spend whatever they like on electioneering media... 'cuz, well, the 1st amendment applies to political speech, whether you like it or not.
I know that all sounds crazy and extreme, but i'm not a fan of the repeated call, mostly by liberals, to ban everything under the sun they don't agree with... I grow weary of your anti-freedom, illiberal, positions.