Jimmy Carter on US ‘Oligarchy’ and Corrupting Power of Money on Politics
(COMMON DREAMS) Lauren McCauley — Commenting on the political landscape, now six years after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter laments that Washington D.C. has become corrupted by the influence of money.
“We’ve become, now, an oligarchy instead of a democracy,” Carter told Oprah Winfrey in an interview excerpt released on Tuesday. “I think that’s been the worst damage to the basic moral and ethical standards to the American political system that I’ve ever seen in my life.”
When asked if he would be able to become president today, the Nobel Peace Prize winner answered: “Absolutely not.”
“There’s no way now for you to get a Democratic or Republican nomination without being able to raise $200 or $300 million, or more,” Carter continued. “I would not be inclined to do that, and I would not be capable of doing it,” he added.