The view from 'up north'

Public Financing of Elections (4.00 / 2)

It's the only solution that will work. Of course, there is an entire cottage industry of campaign consultants on BOTH sides of the aisle that would fight this to the death.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few

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by: BZP @ Tue Aug 01, 2006 at 13:08:56 PM UTC

Re: The view from 'up north' (4.00 / 1)

I'm not passing any moral judgment on this, but the race for leadership on the Dem side is not any different.  Whether that is a good or bad thing is not something I'm completely decided on yet.

Check out my mediocre blog.

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by: nirmal @ Tue Aug 01, 2006 at 14:23:13 PM UTC

I'll glady pass judgement... (4.00 / 2)

...on this "leadership" and campaign finance "system": it sucks. That doesn't mean some good people don't sometimes become leaders. For instance, I think Sen. Mark Schauer does a pretty decent job. Thankfully for us, there are a few good people out there like him who also happen to have fundraising and telemarketing skills. This is the system we have, so we have no choice but to work with it. But in the end, money rules.

Case in point: my own kamimaze run for congress. Virtually every time I sat down with other politicians and key players to ask for their support, the first question out of their mouths was not "what do you stand for?", it was "how will you raise the money?"

Take a look at the House and Senate campaign finance lists I just posted yesterday. Of the hundreds of people on those lists, the large majority of candidates will never be seriously considered by anyone as contenders. Why? Well, some of them, frankly, are completely unqualified. But no doubt there are also many on those lists would make GREAT state legislators - far better, certainly, than many of the flat earth society members that inhabit the Capitol building now. Unfortunately for them - and us - they will never see the light of day. Unless they're in a targeted district (or even sometimes if they ARE in a targeted district - AHEM, MEA, I'm looking in your direction) - and campaign contributors think they'll get a good return on their "investment" - they'll be completely discounted, no matter what their skills or ideas are. Potential good candidates know this, and that's why many of our races have only "placeholder" candidates who don't even answer the rare phone call from a reporter. (I know about this personally, too.)

But, like I said, this is the system we have. May as well do the best we can. But if we ever succeed in getting into the temple, let us resolve to finally throw the money changers out (or at least put them in chains).

"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never." - Winston S. Churchill

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by: matt @ Tue Aug 01, 2006 at 14:56:18 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

... (0.00 / 0)

Just like Michigan's lackluster economy is a reason to vote for Granholm instead of the Amway Outsourcer, the fact that the system is so corrupted is exactly why we need people like you, Matt!

You're either part of the solution, or part of the problem.

Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Scott

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by: ScottyUrb @ Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 05:15:27 AM UTC