WaPo: There is a simple way out of this swamp--public financing of congressional campaigns [View All]

[flpoljunkie]

Intoxicated on fundraising
By Ruth Marcus

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

"You don't have to drink. You just have to pay."

Has there ever been a better summary of how Washington works -- and the need for campaign finance reform -- than this line from a 2007 e-mail?

~There is a simple way out of this swamp -- public financing of congressional campaigns. That may seem like a long shot, but such a measure has been introduced in the House by Connecticut Democrat John Larson and North Carolina Republican Walter Jones, who have assembled an impressive 152 co-sponsors, and in the Senate by Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin and 20 co-sponsors.

I've expressed concerns about the unintended consequences of public funding laws, but the Fair Elections Now Act is carefully crafted to avoid some of the pitfalls. It sets a high threshold for qualifying (candidates must raise at least $50,000 on their own in donations of $100 or less, all from residents of their home state). Grants would be generous enough to encourage participation ($360,000 for a House primary campaign, for instance) but would also be calibrated to reflect candidates' support, with additional matching funds of $4 in public money for each $1 raised by candidates themselves. The estimated cost is $2 billion to $3 billion per election.

Real money, but a promising way out of the sickening current arrangement of "you don't have to drink, you just have to pay."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/01/AR2010060102499.html

Urge your members of Congress to pass the Fair Elections Now Act:

https://secure3.convio.net/change/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=579