Those who are interested in understanding the American political system–And shouldn’t we all be?–would do well to pay close attention to these two organizations: 1. Republic Report (http://www.republicreport.org/) 2. Open Secrets (http://www.opensecrets.org/) Both organizations are doing good work keeping track of how the US Chamber of Commerce and the major corporations pervert the political process and prevent politicians from working in the public interest. One good example of this was illuminated in a recent Truthout article by Lee Fang that connects corporate lobbying with a looming rise in student loan interest rates. The following passage gives the essence of Fang’s article: On…