Since the ratification of the US Constitution in 1789, one thing has remained clear about American politics: it is run and manned by the wealthy. 4 out of the 5 of the first U.S. Presidents were part of the First Families of Virginia, or FFV's, and were rich plantation owners. The other one was a rich, well-educated man from Massachusetts.
As history progresses, we find that policiticians stay the same: wealthy people that believe they have the answer to the problems in our country. Granted, some of them like Lincoln and FDR did fix America's problems, but most found a mediocre solution, if any solution at all. So why doesn't a common person run for office and break the streak?
The answer is simply that it's too expensive. Getting the word out to over 300 million people is just too expensive for just anyone to do it. Only those with money can afford the cost of TV, radio and paper ads. It's always been expensive. Only those who owned property could vote in early America, and owning property was expensive in the 1780's. It's still expensive now.
The streak of the rich "elite" running American politics will not soon be broken--if it's ever broken at all. The higher campaign costs go and the more we grow, the more elitist we will become. That's what we'll be. The United States of Aristocracy.
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