Current Affairs How the Rich Legalized Corruption in America (w/ David Sirota)
Oct 21, 2025
David Sirota, founder of The Lever and renowned investigative journalist, dives deep into the troubling intertwining of corporate power and American politics. He discusses the historical roots of this corruption, tracing it from the Powell Memo to major Supreme Court cases like Citizens United. Sirota highlights the role of media and think tanks in perpetuating this status quo. He also shares his personal disillusionment with political compromises, urging for reforms like public financing to reclaim democracy from corporate interests.
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Corruption As The Political Default
- Corruption has become normalized so people treat donor-driven politics as simply "how things work."
- David Sirota argues this system was intentionally created and therefore can be reversed.
Watergate Sparked Lasting Reforms
- Watergate led to real campaign finance reforms like disclosure and limits and even presidential public financing.
- Those reforms reduced secret corporate influence for decades before being eroded.
Powell Memo Then Supreme Court Justice
- Lewis Powell wrote a memo urging corporate America to build institutions to fight regulators and activists.
- Powell later joined the Supreme Court and helped enable rulings that deregulated corporate political spending.
