@jayrosen_nyu "Stake" is originally a gambling term, as in the following passage from Thoreau's On the Duty of
#civildisobedience "All
#voting is a sort of gaming, like chequers or backgammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and wrong, with moral questions; and betting naturally accompanies it. The character of the voters is not staked. I cast my vote, perchance, as I think right; but I am not vitally concerned that that right should prevail. I am willing to leave it to the majority. Its obligation, therefore, never exceeds that of expediency. Even voting *for the right* is *doing* nothing for it."
Politicians are not concerned about their constituents, but look to corporate "stakeholders" to fund their campaigns, as mass media cover elections as sports, reporting on the odds for those ready to stake the future of the planet on the outcome of elections.