The Bitcoin Series - Part 3: Can Bitcoin Fix Political Corruption? - The Crypto 101 Show

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to the Crypto one on one Show, where we
dive into the world of cryptocurrencies, bitcoin, blockchain, and all
the technology with it. Whether you're experienced or a beginner
to crypto, our goal is to break down complex concepts
and make it easy for you to understand the basics,
from Bitcoin to all coins. We'll cover it all in
a way that's easy to digest and provide listeners with

(00:30):
the knowledge and understanding they need to make informed decisions
and better critical thought. Sit back, relax, and let's simplify
your understanding of cryptocurrencies on the Crypto one on one Show,

(00:51):
Part three? Can Bitcoin fix political corruption, Citizens United, campaign finance,
lobbying and the money pipeline that shapes power. I need
to start off by saying this is not financial advice,
So if you're looking for that, the show isn't for you.
The content of this podcast episode is for informational purposes only.
The opinions expressed here are not meant to be taken

(01:13):
as financial investment or any other advice. Welcome back to
the Bitcoin Series, a deeper, more honest look at what
this technology really means for society, not just for finance.
When we talk about corruption, Most people think of backroom deals,
offshore accounts, or shady politicians caught red handed. But the

(01:33):
real corruption is legal. It's structured. It's baked right into
the political system. Laws like Citizens United turned money into
free speech, and ever since, billionaires, corporations, and packs have
had more voice in government than actual voters. It's not
just rigged, it's openly rigged, and we've normalized it. So

(01:53):
the question in this episode is can bitcoin actually disrupt
the way money controls politics? Can fix how campaigns are funded,
how influence is bought, and how policies are sold. Because
bitcoin doesn't fund lobbyists, it doesn't print money for favors,
it doesn't bend to the party in charge, But that
doesn't mean it's immune to influence either. So today we're

(02:17):
diving into what Citizens United did to our political landscape
and how money and power became inseparable, and whether bitcoin,
as a fixed, transparent, decentralized monetary system can break the
chain between money and manipulation. We're not just asking can
bitcoin fix the economy, We're asking can it help fix
democracy too? Question one, can bitcoin reduce the influence of

(02:41):
big donors? Big donors don't just buy political ads they
buy access and influence. We live in a world shape
by decisions like Citizens United, where money isn't just speech,
it's a megaphone, and the richer you are, the louder
your voice can be. Today, billionaire's lobbyists, super PACs, and
corporations can pour virtually unlimited money into shaping elections, writing policy,

(03:04):
and silencing ordinary voters. This isn't a glitch in the system,
but the actual system we live in now. What happens
if money itself changes. Bitcoin isn't just new money. It's fixed, supply, transparent,
and to centralize money that changes the playing field in
key ways. You can't create more bitcoin out of thin air,

(03:24):
no printing money for political favors. You can't secretly donate
bitcoin through hidden banks or shadow nonprofits without it being traceable.
You can't inflate away everyone else's savings while enriching yourself.
This means bitcoin makes it harder to buy influence because
it makes the money itself incorruptible. But this comes with
a catch. Bitcoin doesn't stop people from using their wealth

(03:47):
to try to influence others. If someone already owns a
lot of bitcoin, they can still donate bitcoin to candidates
create bitcoin funded think tanks and or pay influencers to
spread their message. It doesn't disappear. Power dynamics don't magically vanish.
Bitcoin just makes the rules around money harder to rig.
You can still try to buy influence, but you can't

(04:10):
change the money supply, hide the donations as easily or
quietly bail yourself out when it goes wrong. The dirty
money trail becomes visible to everyone. So the better question
isn't does bitcoin eliminate big donors, it's does bitcoin make
their power smaller, more visible, and harder to abuse? And
right now the honest answer is yes, it can, but

(04:32):
it depends on how we the people decide to use
the transparency Bitcoin offers. Because the tools are neutral, it's
what we build with them that matters. Question two, can
Bitcoin fix campaign finance? This one hits close to home
for anyone who's ever looked at a bailout and thought
it feels like the only people running are the ones

(04:52):
who can afford to the problem. Money doesn't just influence elections,
it decides them. In the US, running if for office
isn't about ideas, it's about funding. You need millions to
get noticed. Hire a team, run ads, travel, and survive
long enough to compete. So what happens Candidates become dependent

(05:12):
on big donors, packs and super PACs flood elections with
dark money. Billionaires bankroll candidates to protect their interests, and
lobbyist shape policy before voters even hear about it. The result,
candidates aren't elected, they're funded, and your average person, even
with great ideas, gets left off the system completely. Can
Bitcoin actually change this? Yes, but only parts of it.

(05:36):
Let's break it down. Bitcoin has transparent donations. Because donations
are public on the blockchain, you can see exactly how
much was given, trace where the donations come from by
following the wallets, even if pseudoanonymous and they can't hide
behind fake shell companies. Bitcoin can do decentralized crowdfunding, meaning
people could fund candidates directly using bitcoin, without banks, without

(06:00):
corporate platforms, and without getting filtered by political gatekeepers. Potentially
a candidate could raise funds from one thousand small bitcoin
donors globally instead of five billionaires. Bitcoin could be capped
with smart contract donations, where the right tools you could
build donation platforms that limit how much a single wallet
can send or distribute funds only as the candidate hits

(06:22):
milestones or ought to return unspent donations to the community.
That would technically be campaign finance with accountability built in,
but there's drawbacks still to this. Bitcoin won't magically stop
rich and wealthy people or wales from trying to influence elections,
and without clear rules, people could still move funds through
multiple wallets, or use bitcoin to buy influence in more

(06:44):
subtle ways, like through massive social content or fund media
outlets or influencers instead of candidates. So again, the tech
gives us tools, but it's the culture we build around
those tools that determines whether they actually shift power. Bitcoin
it can't fix campaign finance alone, but it can give
us the tools to make elections more transparent, decentralized, and

(07:06):
fair if we choose to use them that way. So
the takeaway Bitcoin makes corruption harder to hide but not
impossible to redirect, which is why guardrails are critical. Question
three can wealth still buy influence in a bitcoin world?
So by now we've looked at what bitcoin could fix,
the printing, the backroom deals, the opaque campaign finance system.

(07:30):
But here's the harder question. If bitcoin is just money
with new rules, can wealth still find a way to
bend the system. Wealth doesn't disappear just because the money
is decentralized. There will always be whales. People who got
in early, people who bought big are people who earned
or accumulated a massive amount over time, and while bitcoin
doesn't let them change the rules or print more coins

(07:53):
for themselves, it doesn't stop them from trying to influence
the world with power they already have. By using bitcoin,
it's possible it may look more like social influence instead
of direct donations. A bitcoin whale might not donate to
a politician, but they could fund a popular influencer, sponsor
a podcast, launch a news outlet, or shape public opinion

(08:14):
with memes, content or viral videos, which is still political power.
It's just cultural now instead of financial. There's a possibility
it could be used for distributed donations. While technically bitcoin
is traceable, with enough wallets, enough mixing, and enough workarounds,
someone carrying a lot of bitcoin could split their holdings
across dozens of wallets to stay under the radar, making

(08:37):
it look like a grassroots movement when it's actually one
person behind the curtain. Another possibility is the backing of
dios or activist networks. Imagine a powerful whale launching a
decentralized organization, not to run for office, but to influence
what policies get funded, what causes gain traction, or what

(08:57):
people believe about freedom, private governance. And again it's not illegal,
but it's power and it's strategic. Being honest, Bitcoin doesn't
end influence, it just changes what influence looks like. We
move from closed doors to open blockchains, secret donations to
visible wallets, institutional power to networked power. It's definitely harder

(09:21):
to rig, but not impossible to game. The real question
becomes will the people who gain bitcoin wealth act any
differently than the ones who control fiat wealth today? Because
the code is fair, but the culture still matters. That's
why decentralization isn't the finish line, it's the starting point.
If we want a system where wealth doesn't override democracy.

(09:42):
If we want a system where wealth doesn't override democracy,
we need to do more than just adopt better money.
We have to build better values around it. And that's
going to take transparency, accountability, and a community willing to
ask hard questions even when the answers make us uncomfortable.
So here's where we land Bitcoin doesn't promise utopia. It

(10:03):
doesn't elect your candidate for you. It doesn't silence the wealthy,
fix our institutions, or hand you justice in a block
every ten minutes. What it does is gives us a
new set of tools, tools that make money transparent, make
corruption harder to hide, and make influence visible, traceable, and
open to public scrutiny. But tools are only as good

(10:25):
as the hands that hold them, because even in a
decentralized world, people will still try to buy power and
bend systems to their will. And that's why the future
of finance isn't just technical, it's cultural, ethical, and personal.
So if you come into this episode thinking bitcoin was
just a way to send money faster, maybe now you're
asking something deeper. What kind of world do I want

(10:46):
this money to build? Because the money might be neutral,
but the people never are. And maybe that's the greatest
shift bitcoin offers, is not just changing the currency, but
forcing us to ask what we actually value. Thanks for
listening to the Bitcoin Series Part three. If this episode
made you think, pause, or even squirm a little, good,

(11:07):
that means we're getting somewhere. I'll see you in part four,
where we take a look at volatility, bitcoin whales, manipulation,
and ask can we really trust bitcoin? Until then, stay
curious and stay grounded. I want to be extremely upfront
that I try my best to leave all of my
opinions out of this. I know this is very condensed
and simplified, but I want you to gain your own

(11:28):
understanding of beliefs and not be persuaded by me. I
hope this helped you gain a better grasp of it.
Please remember to share, follow, and subscribe to our mailing
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so you can gain more with your crypto knowledge. If
this sparks something in you or made you question what's possible,
I'd love to hear about it. And if you found
this valuable, share it tag someone who needs to hear

(11:50):
it or just sit with it. Thanks for listening. Thanks
for listening to this episode of The Crypto One on
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(12:14):
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The Bitcoin Series - Part 3: Can Bitcoin Fix Political Corruption?

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