Posts with the tag public financing of campaigns
The political season seems old already, because of the need for perpetual fundraising. In order to "compete" in the modern campaign, candidates for federal office must spend, on average, 4-6 hours per day calling donors.
In colloquial terms, this is known as "dialing for dollars."
The fundraising dynamic is nothing new to politics. It's just that the numbers have grown at an almost exponential rate over the past decade.
The advent of Internet fundraising has helped level the playing field in terms of giving smaller donors a meaningful way of participating. But donors, who call themselves bundlers, rangers, or any other campaign-created distinction reserved for the wealthy, are still driving fundraising for federal candidates.
So why do candidates perpetuate this madness? The short answer is because they've been told this is what it takes to win.
In all fairness, the presidential public financing system has not kept up with inflation and thus must be repaired. Candidates need to believe they are not unilaterally disarming by accepting public financing. Accordingly, when the new Congress convenes next year, there must be immediate action taken to fix the system and offer proper stipend amounts.
What makes this election year different from the past is that all of the remaining presidential candidates ostensibly support the idea of expanding public financing systems to Congressional races. Despite their rhetoric on the issue, they have all danced around the idea of using the system for the general election.
This is wrong.
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In colloquial terms, this is known as "dialing for dollars."
The fundraising dynamic is nothing new to politics. It's just that the numbers have grown at an almost exponential rate over the past decade.
The advent of Internet fundraising has helped level the playing field in terms of giving smaller donors a meaningful way of participating. But donors, who call themselves bundlers, rangers, or any other campaign-created distinction reserved for the wealthy, are still driving fundraising for federal candidates.
So why do candidates perpetuate this madness? The short answer is because they've been told this is what it takes to win.
In all fairness, the presidential public financing system has not kept up with inflation and thus must be repaired. Candidates need to believe they are not unilaterally disarming by accepting public financing. Accordingly, when the new Congress convenes next year, there must be immediate action taken to fix the system and offer proper stipend amounts.
What makes this election year different from the past is that all of the remaining presidential candidates ostensibly support the idea of expanding public financing systems to Congressional races. Despite their rhetoric on the issue, they have all danced around the idea of using the system for the general election.
This is wrong.
Read More »
An anniversary worth remembering with a strong dose of ethics reform. This just in from the Public Campaign Action Fund:
On the anniversary of the first meeting that set off the infamous Keating Five scandal, Public Campaign Action Fund renewed its call today for Senator John McCain (R-AZ) to back comprehensive public financing of all federal elections and to make passage of it a priority if elected.
Here's the complete story.
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