In the 2020 presidential election cycle, more than $14bn went to federal candidates, party committees, and Super Pacs – double the $7bn doled out in the 2016 cycle. Total giving in 2024 is bound to be much higher.
That money is not supporting US democracy. If anything, that money is contributing to rising Trumpism and neofascism.
The fact that Smedley Butler isn’t loudly championed as one of the greatest heroes in American history is a god damn travesty
What’s even more wild is that he went from being a dedicated supporter of the capitalist establishment, to avowing to tackle it because he saw how damaging it was from the inside. That kind of change requires huge character.