Money Talks, but It Doesn’t Vote

Millionaire publisher Steve Forbes now joins a long list of rich men who thought they could spin their own money, ideas and ego into political capital and office. It just hasn’t worked: Ask Ross Perot, Michael Huffington and Al Checchi, to offer a short list. For some reason, Forbes thought it would be different with him. He was wrong. He finally showed the good sense to drop out of the contest for the Republican presidential nomination Wednesday, after finishing a dismal third in the GOP primary in Delaware.

Forbes won Delaware in 1996, but this year he pulled only 5,857 votes, fewer than Arizona Sen. John McCain, who never stepped foot in the state. In his two campaigns Forbes spent more than $100 million; the result this go-round was 10 delegate votes.

Forbes was something of an intriguing fresh face in 1996 as he pushed his plan for a national flat tax, winning in Arizona as well as Delaware. This time, Forbes was strident and tiresome as he lectured endlessly about doing away with the Internal Revenue Service.

American voters want officeholders with experience and judgment. They are skeptical of radical, quick-fix ideas. Wealthy Americans have been successful in high office. Myriad Kennedys and Rockefellers, for instance. But they got there the old-fashioned way, by learning and practicing politics from the ground up.