Good news for those of us concerned that the rich dominate American politics – the rich are not different from the rest of us! Now even the rich are being ignored by America’s political class.

As reported in the Washington Post, wealthy bundlers who in the past raised up to a million dollars each for Mitt Romney and George W. Bush are being ignored by the 2016 candidates. Terry Neese, an Oklahoma City “Ranger” for George W. Bush – bupkis. Bobbie Kilberg, whose husband raised more than $4 million for Mitt Romney, says that “the regular bundlers feel a little disenfranchised.”

And why not? True they’re rich, but they are not mind-bogglingly super-rich, and that is where all the action is now. Candidates only want to talk to the Kochs, or to Sheldon Adelson – those who singlehandedly can fund a Super PAC that can keep a candidate’s hopes alive.

This was the topic of a recent New York Times story, G.O.P. Race Starts in Lavish Haunts of Rich Donors. Candidates are jetting from one resort to another to seek an audience with a billionaire. Here is one example from the Times story, involving a public spirited citizen who happens to make his money in the ethanol industry:

Even a single deep-pocketed donor can now summon virtually the entire field of candidates. No fewer than 11 Republican White House hopefuls will fly to Iowa this week to attend the Iowa Agriculture Summit organized by Bruce Rastetter, a businessman and prominent “super PAC” donor. Each will submit to questions from Mr. Rastetter, who said he wanted the candidates to educate themselves on agriculture policy.

I hereby nominate “submit” as political verb of the year. Pick your own favored definition from among those offered at Merriam-Webster but I think this one fits: “to yield oneself to the authority or will of another.” Hail to the Chief.

I’m sure this is all done out of love of country, or love of countries, as the case may be. Casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson has not only spent hundreds of millions to defeat President Barack Obama and other Democrats, he showers cash on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party too. The New York Times Tom Friedman recently wrote in Is It Sheldon Adelson’s World?: “he lacks any sense of limits in how he exercises his extraordinary financial power — power he is using to simultaneously push Israel and America toward eliminating any two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians, toward defunding the Palestinian Authority and toward a confrontation with Iran, not a diplomatic solution. People need to know this.”

As I understand it my friends from the right think all this money means more free speech. But then there was this story from Saturday’s Boston Globe, Warren Fires Back at Banks Halting Donations to Democrats. JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup told the Democrats they wouldn’t pay their usual tribute to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee because Senator Warren and Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio have been saying mean things about the banks. Wait, wait – wouldn’t that be like using money to suppress speech? I’m confused.

So for the merely rich who are feeling disenfranchised, it’s a bit ironic that you’d find yourself in the same position as minority citizens targeted by phony voter ID laws. But what the hell, we’re all in this together now.

Ms. Neese, Mr. and Mrs. Kilberg, and to all the merely rich - welcome to the disenfranchised. First round of Buds and beer nuts is on me.