Okay, looks like people are serious about fixing politics, key to which is reducing the role on money in campaigns. I've been talking for years to people who really know this stuff, boiling it down to:
- He who pays the piper calls the tune.
- Money has a major corrupting influence in politics
- If someone is going to own the politicians, it might as well be us.
You can read more about it at Common Cause but here's the gist:
To reduce the influence of big donors over federal
elections. Under current law, individual contributions are limited to
$2,300 per candidate per race, a level far beyond the means of the vast
majority of citizens - and bundlers are often able to acquire
unparalleled access to members of Congress when they combine individual
contributions to present candidates with bundles of anywhere from
$10,000 to $50,000 or more.
To
bring campaigns and campaign finance reform into the 21st century.
Thanks in part to the Internet; campaigns are able to reach out to more
people and to raise greater amounts in small individual donations. The
Obama presidential campaign raised more from small donors than anyone
in history, but the trend in Congressional races is exactly the
opposite. We believe Congressional candidates could raise more in small
donations than in years past, but only if they are weaned from their
extreme reliance on big donors.
To
offer a system that candidates - incumbents and challengers - will find
attractive. Candidates will be freed from the burden of constantly
seeking funds from lobbyists and powerful interests. A combination of
small donors and public financing will put an end to that distracting
and debilitating hunt for big dollars. Candidates will still have to
spend time raising money, but for only a portion of their campaign
funds; and that fundraising activity will be redirected to broader
groups of citizens. Also, by basing our bill on data from the most
recent elections, we can provide a level of funding that realistically
allows candidates who opt into the new system to compete successfully
with candidates who do not.