Well, the role of money in politics is pretty corrupting right now.

The remark frames political money not as a neutral tool but as a force that distorts democratic decision-making. By calling it “pretty corrupting right now,” Kennedy implies both a moral dimension (money encourages undue influence, favoritism, or access-for-sale) and a temporal one: the problem is acute in the contemporary system, not merely theoretical. The phrasing suggests concern with structural incentives—campaign fundraising, donor pressure, and the dependence of candidates on large contributors or organized interests—rather than isolated bribery. It also implicitly points toward reformist remedies (e.g., stronger disclosure, public financing, or limits on certain kinds of contributions/expenditures) as ways to reduce the corrosive effects of money on representation and public trust.