The flood of money that gushes into politics today is a

Theodore White, chronicler of American politics and historian of power, once warned with grave eloquence: “The flood of money that gushes into politics today is a pollution of democracy.” In these words, he cast light upon the corruption that seeps into the very heart of self-government. For democracy is meant to be the voice of the people, yet when money becomes its lifeblood, that voice is drowned beneath the roar of wealth. What should be a river of justice becomes a torrent of influence, carrying with it the decay of trust.

The origin of this declaration lies in White’s long observation of elections in the United States. As the author of The Making of the President series, he studied how campaigns were waged, how messages were shaped, and how decisions were swayed. Over time, he saw the rising tide of money—not as servant to democracy, but as its master. Television ads, lobbying empires, and fundraising machines transformed politics from a contest of ideas into a marketplace of power. His words were not just analysis but lamentation, for he knew that unchecked wealth corrodes the foundation of freedom.

History offers us the example of the Gilded Age, when railroad barons and industrial magnates poured fortunes into Congress, buying votes as easily as stock. Senators were chosen not by the people, but by legislatures dominated by wealthy interests. The people’s will was silenced beneath mountains of gold. It was only through reform—the rise of the Progressive movement and the passage of campaign finance laws—that the tide was briefly checked. White’s warning reminds us that the danger did not vanish; it only changes form with each age.

Even in modern times, we see the truth of his words. Supreme Court rulings that unleash vast sums into elections have made campaigns ever more dependent on donors. The citizen with one vote stands against the corporation with millions of dollars. Here lies the pollution of democracy—not in open tyranny, but in the slow poisoning of equality, where wealth dictates policy and the poor are left unheard.

Therefore, O guardians of liberty, heed this wisdom. A nation that allows money to govern its politics allows its democracy to wither. Purity must be restored, not through silence of wealth alone, but through vigilance of the people, who must demand that their leaders answer to citizens, not to coin. For when money becomes the master of politics, democracy itself becomes the slave.