The other thing I know is that when legislators spend their time begging for money for the next campaign instead of legislating, there is something wrong. The old saw that says money corrupts should still have meaning.

Ourside groups advertising for a candidate should be requited to clear their ads with the candidate. Then the candidate is responsible for the ads and their funding. A lot of transparency, please.

There are currently other paths for running for office such as being indepenently wealthy (Corzine, Dayton, Cantawell, Rockefeller, etc), becoming famous for something else (Webb, Ventura). Those pathways would be cut off.

The pathway would be to start in an NGO so that one would have goups that can provide non-monetary support outisde of the regulated campaign speech. The next step would be to become a staffer to develop the connections to other politicians, the media, and other activist.

A government made up of such people will feel the need to regulate every aspect of people’s lives, to attempt to cushion the bad life decisions of everyone, and will act out of the world view that only the government.

The long term effect of public financing is the one party state with the extreme left dominating politics and government.

Maybe if you could point out any advantage for the middle class, private sector employeed American, I would be more impressed with the proposal .

First, Phil may be a product of his past, but he has clearly superceded it, moved beyond it, while still benefitting from the experience.

Second, maybe the only viable path to citizen legislators is through those with some experience in government — hell, it’s too damn hard as it is too keep up with the pace of change and the number of issues these people face. I don’t know: Maybe you’ve already walked in their shoes. If so, I defer. If not, I think you need to do so, first, before you determine whether or not it’s a good thing that “only former staffers and NGO employees” would run in a public financing system.

I’ve spent a lot of time in Washington, and the more time I spend there, the more respect I gain for what Members and staff have to juggle just to get their job done. It’s not a walk in the park.

Net: I’m not denying that a public financing system might actually favor those with government experience. It might. But maybe that’s not so bad; maybe, in fact, it’s a good thing, especially if they’re like Phil.

Everyone who works in the private sector who had a career other than government would be left out of the process.

The downside?

How about 300 or 400 swift boat campaigns per election. Because that is exactly what would happen as every group with a steak would take to the airwaves.

It would make elections today look like Fairy tales.