Heated debates about the role of money in American politics will never go away.
We’re familiar with all the old sayings.
“Money is the mother's milk of politics.”
“Money talks. Bullspit walks.”
We are about to receive a big lesson on money and politics here in Denton, a community of 125,000 people. Is money really the variable that controls an election in a community this size? Or can a political campaign overcome a gigantic money deficit through grassroots organizing and clear messaging?
Taxpayers for a Strong Economy, a political action committee, has reported raising nearly $700,000 during its campaign against the proposed ban on hydraulic fracturing in Denton. The majority of that money comes from oil and gas exploration companies.
Pass the Ban, a committee that favors the frack ban, has reported raising nearly $75,000. A little more than half of its money has come from a national environmental awareness group called Earthworks, according to campaign finance reports.
Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe, a Denton Record-Chronicle reporter, has researched the money factor in recent local political races. She said political spending for and against the frack ban constitutes “the most expensive campaign in Denton history.”
No one has publicly revealed whether either side has conducted public opinion polling to determine who would win if the election were held today. But rumors surfaced weeks ago that pollsters have been in the field to gauge voter sentiment and found a close contest in the making.
So, what if the forces advocating the frack ban prevail despite being outspent by almost 10 to 1? Candidates for master’s and doctoral degrees in political science will be flocking to Denton to write papers on how Pass the Ban thwarted conventional wisdom and defeated the almighty oil and gas industry in Texas.
If the ban passes, some of Denton’s local landowners who have benefited financially by selling their mineral rights — or those considering selling their mineral rights — will lament not coming out of the shadows. At times, they have seemed embarrassed to acknowledge that they have exercised their property rights under Texas law.
If the ban fails at the polls, those who lament the state of our politics can say, “I told you so. He who has the money makes the rules.”
This newspaper has already editorialized against the proposed ban. We believe it infringes on a property owner’s right to make money by leasing mineral rights to a company that drills wells. And we believe the Denton Chamber of Commerce was right to oppose the ban and support a reasonable approach that balances business interests and homeowner interests.
One thing is certain. The election will not end the debate over fracking.
