Is there any way to get the money out of politics?

[Zynx]

You have an entire industry built up around K Street, with massive sums of money paid to lobbyists to "lobby" policy makers - and I really doubt that sort of money is being paid for the lobbyist to write a nice letter to the Senator.

You have the notorious issue of all sorts of people leaving the government and then immediately getting cushy jobs in private industry that rarely if ever have any relation to the guy's actual experience.

The MBNA went out and pretty much bought themselves a nice, fair, rape-the-little-guy bankruptcy bill.

McCain-Feingold tried to clean up campaign soft money and got run over with a 527 dump truck.

So do we have to settle for a corrupt political process, or is there a solution to this?

[Stinky The Clown]

1. There is a solution, but no one (Dem or Rep, probably) will let it happen

100% publicly funded campaigns at all levels. 100% government-set air time for candidates to use as they see fit. Return to a modified Fairness Doctrine.

No donations, no political ads from outside groups, no 527s, no PACs, no nothing. Make it 100% illegal (with very heavy penalaties) for any corporation or corporate officer acting in that capacity to say word one or give dollar one to any candidate or party. No personal donations allowed at any level. (Fly in a corporate jet ... get a huge fine ....... eat a corporate lunch .... get a huge fine ...... speak at a corporate meeting .... get a huge fine ..... etc.)

Like government itself, campaigns should be paid for by the people for the people. Period.

There's probably no stomach for this for a bazillion reasons - some good, some bad - so it will probably never happen.

[blogslut]

3. I agree

...on the free airtime and the return of the Fairness Doctrine. I'm not so much for the no personal donation thing.

I would also suggest that local/national stations (radio, cable, teevee, etc.) receive government subsidies for providing this public service - as an incentive to support such legislation.

[Stinky The Clown]

17. That's fine with me.

I agree they should be compensated for their loss of revenue ... but on the other hand ... we own their airwaves.

[Starfury]

4. Probably not, but some are trying on a per-state basis

Take a look at http://breakthelink.org/

[Zynx]

7. I like, but there are major 1st Amendment issues with parts of this

Political speech is BY FAR the most protected speech. I don't think its possible to pass anything restricting it.

[Brianboru]

9. I agree. Fails first ammendment test.

[mahina]

12. You can read the bill, it does not.

But its great so many people are interested!
It is a nonpartisan issue.

[Stinky The Clown]

18. Follow me to the Slippery Slope .......

...... I might not be opposed to a very special set of 1st Amendment laws that put strict controls on political speech during a defined campaign season. I'm not saying I am favoring this ... but I'd sure entertain it.

[Brianboru]

19. It takes money to reach people

Most voters do not search out information. It needs to be in their face, through advertising, which costs money.

The problem with government financing is that it takes so long to get going. You have to have an established record in the polls. Thats at least a couple of years.

[Stinky The Clown]

21. I think if there's a will to do this, we'd find a way

Measured amounts to anyone - any one - at the outset. Incrementally more as they gain traction .... incrementally less as they lose traction. The stakes go up at primary season and up again at the campaign season.

or .....

Free donations before a set date and then all contributions are halted when the 'official' season starts and the surplus funds get frozen ... or maybe even returned to the donors.

The money we now spend on campaigns - and we *do* pay for those corporate donations that hurt us - could be redirected and reallocated according to some formula.

[mahina]

11. How we are doing it here is by making the public financing optional.

You can run as a publicly funded candidate or keep doing it the old way.

Since expenses must be filed electronically within 24 hours, if the privately funded candidate spends $100. the publicly funded person gets matching funds to a cap, so the opponents are giving their own opponent more money by spending money and so wind down the money.

[theboss]

20. Free speech issues all over the place with such a plan.

I mean, basically you are denying any officer of any corporation (which is a lot more people than you think) from having any type of political opinion.

[lonestarnot]

22. I like this!

[PA Mamma]

2. Support True Representatives ...

Support True Representatives as if your life depended on it. Because it does.

[mahina]

5. It's happening here, done already in Maine and AZ,

and legislation in 35 states across the country fo rthe people to take their government back from what has evolved into a very corrupt system. I think this is why so few people vote. (I always vote FWIW)

Our Democratic Party has supported the clean elections bill strongly.

Check it out! You could pm me with your email addy & I will give it to our field coordinators and put you in touch with people in yousr state if anything is moving now. I am sure they need help. It's not the kind of thing that gets done in one legislative session- this time around is our sixth and right now it is right down to the wire, again...it is looking pretty good for the House.

Never give up!!!! This (and renewable energy which got me here after so many great energy bills got killed) is the most important thing in my life next to my family and my health. (527s aside)

http://www.cleanelectionshawaii.org

[Brianboru]

6. There is a way

The trick is to stop the influence of lobbyists and other special interests.

When the country was founded, there was one representative in the House for each 30,000 citizens. (Lets forget the way they counted slaves and Indians for now) (Article 1, Sec. 2) Today, that translates into about 9,000 Representatives. We currently have 435.

Here’s the problem – you can lobby 435 people. There is no way you can lobby the 4,501 you would need to pass legislation. This would also end the gerrymandering of districts to keep seats “secure”.

Return the government to the people!

[H2O Man]

8. Great question.

Is it possible to get money out of the political process? It does not appear that there is any direct way to accomplish that. However, because it is not on the short list of immediate goals, it still should remain a long-term goal.

What steps might help us, in the short-term, to reduce the influence of money? I think that the internet has obvious potential, both for spreading information that the corporate ($$$) media refusesto touch; and for helping people to organize, however loosely, around the ideas and issues that are of interest to them.

Thus said, those on the grass roots level can potentially use their money to strengthen grass-roots level groups. There are problems: MoveOn was careful to maintain a small core of "decision-makers;" but they seemed to be restricted in thinking by November '04. How to find a balance? That's a good question, too.

The second option that grass-roots people need to exercise is the building of a confederacy of smaller, individual interests. The democrats do not do as well at this as we can, and must.

By combining these short-term options, we might just come a lot closer to the larger goal fairly soon.

[Montauk6]

10. Not without starting over again...

I mean we're talking all-the-way fdisk and format.

It's already virtually impossible to do away with the wealthfare system and handouts to the extremely SO-not-needy.

[sinkingfeeling]

13. Revolution!! We'd have to start all over. No sitting elected official

is likely to vote to stop the money machine now.

[cyberpj]

14. The solution is public funded EQUAL amounts per politician.

But that will never happen because the users would have to make the changes.

Fair and just laws are easy - it's just that no lawmakers want them.

[mahina]

16. Don't give up yet baby, we are just getting started.

It's going to be a long sustained effort and we need everybody.

[leftofthedial]

15. the wolves own the henhouse