Could it be that both allowing American billionaires to use their hordes of gold to influence elections is also bad, but we don’t have the tools to stop them as readily as foreign adversaries? Must every solution be perfect from the outset? Must we do everything at once?

let's be honest here. billionaires are the ruling class wherever they exist.

Sure. But other places at least pretend to fight back, though. EU is actually trying to resist these notions as of late.