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Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and her campaign paid an $8,000 penalty for inaccurately disclosing more than $200,000 in receipts and disbursements in 2010. Are these penalties too small to protect democracy? In this podcast, Mint Press News investigates the effect of big money on campaigns, and whether any candidate without the right connections has a fair shot in the era of Super PACs.

(Photo/Michelle Bachmann via her office; U.S. currency via creative commons)