Money in Politics Exercise

This should take 15 minutes or more. The example here is the environment but you can substitute other issues (funding for higher education; private prisons; gun control; transgender rights; taxes; etc, etc, etc)

Begin by having everyone stand in a circle.

Step 1: Ask for 2 volunteers to play the role of business people. One represents Big Oil and the other represents the Renewable Energy Industry (give them signs). They are telling the “public” (people in the circle) about bills that they want politicians to support.

EXAMPLE: Big Oil wants support for a bill that allows the company to drill for oil on land owned by a Native American tribe and run a pipeline through their land because that is the most profitable for the company. Renewable Energy wants support for a bill to invest in solar and wind energy on the Native American land, and ensure that the tribe shares in the sale of that energy to surrounding communities.

Step 2. Ask for 2 volunteers to play the role of politicians. The politicians are both explaining to the “public” the arguments for and against each of these bills – the one that would allow the oil company to drill and build the pipeline; the other is a law that would facilitate investment in building renewable energy sources on the land. They do not take a position on one or the other.

EXAMPLE: Neither politician takes a position, but they lay out the arguments such as renewable energy is good for the environment and that the fossil fuels are profitable and efficient.

Step 3. Ask for 2 volunteers to play the role of campaign managers of the politicians. They both explain how important it is for their bosses to raise lots of money for their campaigns.

EXAMPLE: They tell the politicians that in 95% of elections, the candidate who raises the most money wins. They say that their bosses don’t have time to meet with citizens because they need to be on the phone asking for campaign donations.

Step 4. Ask for one volunteer to be a lobbyist paid by Big Oil Companies (give him/her fake money); ask for another volunteer to represent the Native American tribe (no money). They try to convince the politicians to vote to support them.

Example: The Big Oil lobbyist offers the politicians money to finance their campaigns while trying to convince them to vote for the drilling and pipeline and the politicians pay attention to the lobbyist. The Native American representative tries to argue against the pipeline and for investment in building renewable energy sources on the land, making it clear that this is what the Native American tribe wants.  But the politicians pretty much ignore this person.

Step 5. Ask the people in the circle who represent the “public” to comment on what they have seen, on what they expect each of the politicians to do, and on what they think the outcome will be.