It's always been a big issue, no matter the form of government. It would be easier to invent a time machine than to get money out of politics. The two are inseparable, with politics naturally having so much to do with economic matters (what issue doesn't have many financial components, after all?) So it's not going to happen, ever, and the public for the most part understands that.
What really needs to be done is to fight corruption among the elites the same way crime is fought in general - constantly, with vigilance. That means the people becoming less interested in all the distractions (the "circuses" which are choking self-government by the people out of existence) and more interested in seeing that justice gets done.