The US presidential race could be decided by a coin flip. In the end, both choices are just two sides of the same coin.

Both Donald Trump’s and Kamala Harris’s campaigns have been bankrolled by hundreds of millions of dollars from billionaires such as Elon Musk and Michael Bloomberg. Contrary to the rhetoric of change espoused by both campaigns, American politics still operates on the same old engine of US corporate interests.

Whoever wins from the secrecy of the ballot box, one thing cannot be hidden: So long as US corporatism is the law of the land, America will keep its current role on the world stage, which is to exploit, warmonger, and subjugate.

American corporate capture became law when in 2010, the US Supreme Court allowed political action committees (PACs) to spend unlimited funds to support their preferred candidates. Corporations have abused this ruling by creating Super PACs–groups with lots of cash, which while not allowed to coordinate with candidates, are owned by people close to them. 

Corporations through their Super PACs have drowned out the voices of labor and public interest groups by dominating the airwaves and keeping political candidates in their pockets.

Campaign promises have since been shaped by Super PAC money–Donald Trump, for instance, has put deregulation, election integrity, and mass deportation upfront in his election platform with support from the likes of Elon Musk who owns a Super PAC himself along with ownership of social media platform X.

But above all, the most egregious form of corporate capture comes from defense companies, which have spent nearly USD70 million in the first half of 2023 alone to secure contracts for their military equipment and increase defense spending. RTX and General Dynamics stocks have skyrocketed by more than 10 percent since the October 7 attack as Israel continues to receive their arms to continue its genocide in Gaza, thanks in part to the acquiescence of the Biden-Harris administration.

With both parties tightly gripped by corporations, policies broadly popular with the American public such as higher minimum wage are tossed to the wayside in favor of lowering corporate taxes. And nations around the globe continue to be at the losing end of US policy.

This dynamic has seen American companies engage in partnerships with United Nations (UN) agencies such as ExxonMobil’s partnership with the UN Environment Programme, a clear act of malversation when the company is one of the leading perpetrators of biodiversity destruction and climate change denial. Countries affected by global issues like climate change are handed to the US on a silver platter for financial opportunities and exploitation of resources.

The Philippines is no exception. The US takes advantage of the conflict in the West Philippine Sea to consolidate control in the Indo-Pacific region through the escalation of tension and expansion of military bases. It has advanced guidelines such as the US-PH Bilateral Defense Guidelines and expanded its Enhanced Defense Cooperation Arrangement sites around the country.

The Philippines is also the largest recipient of US aid in Southeast Asia. Continuous inflow of military aid not only increases expenditures funneled to arms conglomerates, but also enables the US to use its leverage to push for lopsided deals and investments in the region from American manufacturing companies.

When corporate interest is America’s interest, its very foundation weakens. US citizens lose trust in a system that places profit above their well-being and countries continue to struggle under the boots of American corporate greed. 

Reforms in campaign finance regulations such as reversing Citizens United vs FEC are just the first step. Along with this are stricter lobbying laws to minimize corporations’ direct access to legislators and limit their influence on policy-making on every scale. 

Both the Democratic and Republican parties must remember that corporate interests do not give them the mandate to govern. The Democrats, too, must remember that the people’s progressive campaign can only be forwarded by casting aside the corporate shadow that threatens it.

And countries most affected by the US corporate order must distance themselves from this kind of policy. Sovereignty is paramount over profits and foreign dependency; countries locking in step with American corporatism sacrifice the well-being of their people to put US corporate interests first.

Americans will have a new president-elect tomorrow. But whether the land of the free remains caged to corporate interests or not is the choice that matters more in the long run. America must make its choice; the world cannot wait any longer. ●