EP 1798 · Jul 12, 2026
Super PACs, Stupid Voters, and the Cost of Winning Congress w/ James R. Harrigan and Antony Davies || 1798
RUN TIME · 54:25
Episode notes
Campaign donation limits look strict. Super PACs can make those limits feel almost meaningless. James Harrigan and Antony Davies join Josh Martens to debate who really controls American elections: donors, politicians, parties, or voters. How much does it cost to win a House or Senate seat?
The Words and Numbers hosts explain individual contribution limits, candidate committees, political action committees, independent expenditures, and the unlimited spending available through super PACs.
The conversation examines campaign finance, political incentives, the Thomas Massie race, outside spending, foreign influence, publicly funded elections, mandatory voting, gerrymandering, the Republican and Democratic duopoly, and the direct election of senators. The uncomfortable conclusion might be that campaign money is only a symptom.
When government has enough power to sell favors, people will spend enormous amounts trying to control it. https://x.com/antonydavies https://x.com/JamesRHarrigan https://wordsandnumbers.org/
Chapters
- James Harrigan and Antony Davies Join GML
- The Thomas Massie Race and Outside Spending
- What American Elections Really Cost
- Campaign Money, Speech, and Property Rights
- Are Voters Responsible for Selling Their Votes?
- Unlimited Government and the Rise of Oligarchy
- Donation Limits and the Super PAC Loophole
- Political Spoils, Corporations, and Union Money
- Libertarians Debate Public Election Funding
- The Massie Race and Foreign Influence
- Stupid Voters, Mandatory Voting, and the Party Duopoly
- One Change That Could Fix American Elections
Links & resources
Watch All Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi78svKlBr_8o0dDOX8DxO_Wwxu6WYhhA Watch Host Favorites: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi78svKlBr__Zu40RL7mWxCuOOe54zgy2 Join the Fed Haters Club @ https://www.goodmorningliberty.us/fedhatersclub Join GML: https://joingml.com [Martens Minute]: https://martensminute.podbean.com/ All links @ gml.bio.link Subscribe to Good Morning Liberty, like the video, and tell us who deserves more blame: donors, politicians, or voters. Share this conversation with someone who thinks contribution limits solved campaign finance. Please also leave GML a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.