Reforming Campaign Finance "Reform"
To me, true campaign finance reform is not only lifting the McCain-Feingold restrictions that are referred to as "campaign finance reform," but refusing those who are now whining for full public funding of elections. Sorry, you want to run, you pay for it, don't ask me for money so you can persuade me you're not the crook or sellout you seem to be. Ayn Rand Institute's Dr. Yaron Brook has a terrific piece in Forbes on the consequences of all of this:
A wealthy individual can spend lavishly on ads, even buy an entire newspaper or broadcast station, to convince Americans of his viewpoint; he cannot force us to listen or agree. At the same time, a candidate lacking money is free to seek financial support from citizens who agree with him, whether it be a few wealthy individuals or millions of like-minded Americans who are willing to put their money where his mouth is. This is what explains the unexpected financial success of Ron Paul's and Barack Obama's campaigns--and note that current restrictions actually make fund-raising for this type of outside candidate more difficult.It's true that in a free system, money does give you a greater ability to get your message out; this is precisely one of the reasons it's desirable to earn wealth. If this is what campaign finance advocates regard as corrupt, which system would they regard as uncorrupt? One in which a person's ability to promote his viewpoint is unrelated to the financial resources he's earned (whether personally or through voluntary contributions).
This is why campaign finance advocates have not been appeased by McCain-Feingold, and are calling for complete public financing of political elections. Under such a system, candidates would no longer have to financially earn the platform from which they speak; instead, the government would furnish candidates with your tax dollars. Of course, not every potential candidate could receive public funding under such a system: Only "serious" candidates would.
Who decides which candidate is serious? Those presently holding government power. There is no surer way to create a political aristocracy in America.
...And current campaign finance restrictions already seem to be moving us toward a political aristocracy. Incumbent politicians typically go into elections with massive advantages in name-recognition and fund-raising ability. To have a hope of unseating them, challengers often need large cash infusions from a small number of donors--something expressly forbidden by campaign finance laws. The Center for Competitive Politics notes that "since contribution limits were first enacted at the federal level, successful challenger campaigns have plummeted by 50%." Campaign finance reform has done nothing to get corruption out of politics, but it has been effective at keeping (corrupt) politicians in politics.
Yet despite all this, you might still be wondering: Can't large contributions buy political favors? They can--when politicians have power to grant special favors to special interests in the first place. In today's Washington, it's not just money that purchases favors. Politicians dispense favors for the sake of prestige (say, their name on a bridge), for the purpose of appeasing vocal critics lobbying against them, for the attempt to win your vote (say, a pet project in your district that will create jobs), etc.
It's not money that corrupts--it's the lure of arbitrary political power. A true crusader against political corruption would not strip American citizens of their right to free speech; he would seek to put an end to the government's power to grant special favors to any group.
Sen. McCain was once asked whether McCain-Feingold abridges freedom of speech. He implicitly admitted that it does: "I would rather have a clean government than one where quote 'First Amendment rights' are being respected that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I'd rather have the clean government." We should tell Sen. McCain and those who agree with him that a government which strips us of our right to free speech is by that very fact corrupt.
Hear hear!
True campaign finance reform can be put into four words: No limits. Full Disclosure.
And done.
BlogDog at March 22, 2008 12:00 PM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2008/03/reforming-campa.html#comment-1533489">comment from BlogDogYou're speaking my language.
Amy Alkon at March 22, 2008 1:35 PM
In practice, those seem mutually exclusive. When people who have lots of money can spend as much as they want, one of the first things they buy is privacy.
Crid at March 22, 2008 11:26 PM
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