In my Salon column today, I look at new research examining how corporations influence politics. Money talks. But how? From “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” to Citizens United, the story goes like this: The wealthy corrupt and control democracy by purchasing politicians, scripting speech and writing laws. Corporations and rich people make donations to candidates, pay for campaign ads and create PACs. They, or their lobbyists, take members of Congress out to dinner, organize junkets for senators and tell the government what to do. They insinuate money where it doesn’t belong. They don’t build democracy; they buy it. But that, says Alex Hertel-Fernandez, a PhD student in Harvard’s government department, may not be the only or even the best way […]