Beyond the Campaign Ads: Can 5 Simple Rules Fix American Corruption? TLWH 10.09.26

People who run for public office usually have mixed motives: public service or issue advocacy often provides the stated reason, while political ambition, career advancement, financial gain, and the possibility of higher office also matter.

This newspaper sent a four-part questionnaire to every candidate for local and county offices. We asked an important question: Why are you running for this specific office now? 

Local candidates, especially for school boards, city councils and township boards, and county offices, are motivated by a specific issue, dissatisfaction with local government, community identity, or a need for representation. Your neighbors, co-workers, and friends. Community builders, not career builders--for the most part.

In my “rock star” organizer days of Nevada party politics, the little organization under my admittedly weak leadership hosted community events where candidates sought voters. Candidates for non-partisan offices like school boards and judgeships often came to speak and seek. In a down moment, one-on-one, I asked a judicial candidate why he was running for a District Court seat. Without grasping the import of what he said, he replied that, given the cost of private practice, he was looking for the six-figure income and employee benefits of becoming a judge. Financial security seemed to motivate him.

Many candidates and serving officeholders I met and got to know back then considered themselves rising stars, contemplating jumping from the county commission or state legislature to statewide office or Congress. 

To our great good fortune, almost everyone who submits to the rough-and-tumble world of standing for election and serving in office is motivated by public service and community benefit.

It is nearly impossible for us regular folks, the 99%, to say with certainty that a Senate or Presidential candidate has public service, and not financial gain, at the front of mind. The ominous rhetoric and prolific BS in campaign ads and brochures are just too much.

Imagine my delight, however, when I saw a recent interview with a talked-about Democratic presidential candidate, Rahm Emanuel. He is promoting a clearly stated, simple-to-understand five-point plan to really drain the swamp, and it doesn’t include expanding the swamp like we’re used to seeing.

Ban ALL stock trading by those serving in all three branches of the federal government. The evidence of such “insider” trading is obvious. It is ethically and criminally wrong.

Ban ALL participation in prediction markets, the new name for gambling. The same insider information used to “gamble” on stocks works in these markets. 

Mandatory retirement for ALL officials at 75. If the evidence of “sleepy Joe” and “dozing Don” isn’t enough to convince you 75 is old enough, look at the sad cases of all who stayed too long in Congress or on the Courts. Of the 535 members of the House and Senate, 117 are 70 or older. Six Senators are older than the current President, one by more than a decade. In the House, 13 members are over 80. The Court of Supremes features four justices older than 70; one is almost 80. It’s time to make sure these long-serving politicos have a green pasture to work in when they retire at 75. 

Mandatory blind trusts for any official with a net worth that exceeds one million dollars. A blind trust's core purpose is to sever the link between an official's personal wealth and their public power. Public officials vote on legislation, issue regulatory decisions, and award government contracts. If an official holds stocks in specific companies—such as defense contractors, tech firms, or pharmaceutical companies—their decisions could, and probably do, directly line their own pockets. 

Finally, tighten legal restrictions (rather than constitutional ones) regarding foreign investments, foreign gifts, and participation. 

Emanuel is offering a clear, concise, and workable way to address the blatant corruption happening in every state and the country as a whole. Evidence of it spans party lines. Few are proposing solutions, spending too much time pointing out individual cases of the party they hate. But the similarities between the two major political parties go beyond candidate recruitment, organizing legislatures, and nominating local election judges. Borderline senility and rampant self-dealing flourish in these days of meme producers, podcasters, and television talking heads. 

At least one man who may be on the ballot for the top job in 2028, whether he really believes in it or not, has clearly said what really needs to be done. 

Two years is a long time, and we’re all weary of the daily barrage of depressing acts of graft and corruption. Plus, we need to get through a few more weeks of the 2026 elections. 

But if there is such a thing as hope, let’s hope Emanuel's five fixes get done, and we get Medicare for all. A guy can dream.