The North County Times recently released the latest fundraising totals for Joe Bologna's competition in the mayor's race.  The numbers were astounding.  The race for Escondido's next mayor is breaking all fundraising records.  It's just one more sign of how important money has become in American politics.  No matter the race, no matter at what level of government, our elections have become about who can get the most money in the shortest amount of time.

This is not what elections should be about.  The extreme focus of modern campaigns on money, money, money takes the focus of the candidates and the electorate away from the issues and the multiple crises that face us in this day and age.  But most of all, money depersonalizes politics.  If campaigns are about fundraising they can't be about people.  And it is the people of Escondido who the candidates running for office in Escondido should pay attention to.  Joe Bologna believes this, and so do I.

The focus on money allows campaigns to obscure, obfuscate, and even downright lie about the issues that the people care about.  They will "promise you anything you wanna hear, to win the crowd [they]'re chasing!  [They] spend billions of dollars to make [their] point clear!"  The vast amounts of money infecting our electoral system cheapen the American right to vote.  And it inevitably leads to pandering, elitism, and inauthenticity to the point where our elections seem more designed to entertain us than save American from the hole we've fallen into.

Contrast this to when a candidate leads a true grassroots campaign.  When candidates put themselves forward to be elected to public office, and they go out to the people, candidates cannot avoid authenticity.  Voters who examine candidates face-to-face can tell the truth from the falsehoods.  When candidates put people first before the election, you know they will put people first afterwards.

Joe Bologna is running a grassroots campaign.  He will be outspent ten-to-one by his opponents.  But is going out there and speaking to voters face-to-face.  Joe Bologna is putting people first in his campaign for mayor.  He knows he is at a disadvantage when it comes to sending out mailers and advertisements.  He is refusing to focus on gathering all the cash possible.  Joe is convinced that the people of Escondido will have the final say -- not money.  His belief is firmly stated: "I will not buy this election."  And Escondido will be better off for it.