Berkley Center

Once it begins in full, the Citizens United era will no doubt amass a heap of dead political careers. Multi-millionaires will fund Super PACs to defeat liberal candidates whose roots lie in the working class. Such politicians will mainly be Democratic, of course, and many rely on suburban, white-collar voters who are sympathetic to the GOP’s anti-tax platform.

Yet in a strange way, Citizens United may be a hidden blessing. The Supreme Court’s decision might never be overturned, but perhaps it can be overcome.

Beyond the obvious ideological bias of Citizens United victims, another pattern will emerge. The effectiveness of an attack hinges on two things: the assailant’s skill, of course, and also the target’s vulnerability. Members of Congress with mediocre services or “flexible” opinions are finished in the face of Super PAC attacks. Those with deep commitments and convictions, however, may stand firm.

Here lies hope for progressive politicians, who now must either evolve or die. No matter how many ads are run against a candidate, nothing will sway the vote of those the candidate has spoken to and truly connected with. Sincerity is the new slick.

Ironically, elections are decided by the 10-15% of voters who know the least about public policy. Studies consistently show that independent voters possess less civic knowledge than do partisans. As a result, swing voters do not necessarily vote “on the issues,” as schoolteachers taught us to do. They vote on trust, and frankly, they may be onto something.

Six weeks before the 2002 election, Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone was losing his reelection race by one point in the polls. Four weeks later, he voted against the popular Iraqi Freedom resolution. Few Minnesotans agreed with him. His numbers shot up by six percent.

By sticking to his principles in the midst of a political death match, Wellstone solidified their trust in him as a public servant. Had he not died in a plane crash five days later, he likely would have won.

Progressives can successfully follow in Wellstone’s footsteps, and in so doing, they can restore our trust and hope in democracy. Because no Super PAC can fragment the relationship an earnest, committed public servant holds with their constituents. As progressives begin to adopt the new role of service in politics—and as they start to win with it—candidates of all persuasions will have no choice but to follow suit.