American Plutocracy

Abstract

This essay explores the linkages between economic inequality, political inequality, and money in politics. Said another way, it explores the linkages between Thomas Piketty, Gilens & Page, and campaign finance law. It argues that the U.S. Supreme Court has constructed and justified a new form of government called plutocracy. Campaign finance cases from Buckley (1976) to McCutcheon (2014) contain a series of constitutional principles that serve to increase political inequality and economic inequality. Those constitutional principles also serve as the "apparatus of justification" sought by Piketty, the justifications for inequality that might allow today's state of affairs to endure. This essay exposes those constitutional principles and their relationship to works by Piketty, Gilens, and Page. It also contains a summary of some key points from my book, Capitalism v. Democracy (Stanford University Press 2014).

Keywords: Campaign finance, money in politics, Piketty, Gilens, Page, McCutcheon, Citizens United, economic inequality, political inequality, Capitalism v. Democracy