Comments on: Public Campaign Finance

By: domajot

domajot — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:20:28 +0000

I’m not so sure about term limits. While it may be a good idea in principle, I’m not sure at how many terms the limit should be set.

A Senator needs time to learn how to be an effective Senator, and likewise a Congressperson.
This is particularly true re committee assignments. One can only acquite the necessary expertise in a given area with lots of time and seasoning.
A lot of greenhorns introducing and passing legislation is not the perfect way to get good laws.

By: DLS

DLS — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:24:29 +0000

I think this would work best if we also have term limits for Senators and Representatives – maybe 2 Senate terms and 5 in Congress.

Americans want term limits, two terms and out!

(Lengthen the House term if you find it too short.)

By: Their Job is to Run the Country… - Center of the U.S. - An Independent Voter’s Thoughts on the 2008 Presedential Election, Congressional Politics and other Political News of the Day

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:28:53 +0000

[...] entry sparked by a post at The Moderate Voice, an insightful publication, that I sadly am unable to read as much as I’d like. Tags: [...]

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:34:14 +0000

I think this would work best if we also have term limits for Senators and Representatives – maybe 2 Senate terms and 5 in Congress. One other benefit I see in public financing is that it opens the field to more candidates instead of the same old career politicians. If you pair that with term limits, it allows for people who wouldn’t have run before to get into the political sphere. There are a ton of smart, compassionate, hard-working men and women in this country who could do an excellent job representing their states, but the cost of getting into a race is prohibitive.

As a side note, I don’t see this as being the death of the two-party system, but more of a rebirth of the multi-party system we had in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The Republicans are down and out, sure, but the Democrats are so diverse and divided on so many issues that they could be broken into multiple smaller parties.

By: domajot

domajot — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:58:10 +0000

Whatever the problems with public financing that might arise, they can’t be as bad as the problems we have without it. The situation has gotten totally out of hand.

It’s unconscionable that we are paying politicians salaries to spend so much time in fundraising instead ot attending to their duties as lawmakers.
Whatever the problems that may arise with public financing, they could never be as bad as the problems that exist without it.

By: MoneyQs » Blog Archive » Public Campaign Finance

MoneyQs » Blog Archive » Public Campaign Finance — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 03:21:36 +0000

[...] Yi-Wyn Yen wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptAt least public campaign finance gives candidates some chance to get elected while maintaining their objectivity and pragmatism. I intend to restrict my campaign contributions to those who support reasonable controls. [...]

By: DLS

DLS — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 21:56:22 +0000

Who, other than the predictable Democrats as SD has already anticipated, would qualify for public finance of campaigns? Any fringe candidate, no matter how non-serious?

By: superdestroyer

superdestroyer — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 21:49:23 +0000

The second that this passes, is the last second that the Republicans are relevent. Considering that close to 90% of incumbents are reelected and now half of the Democratic incumbents will not even have an opponent in the general election, this act will push it close to 100%.

Such a law will gie the U.S. a congress comprised of activist and/or former staffers. It will also allow current Congressmen to hand pick their successor more than they do know. Of course, it will sold as keeping special interest money out but will be filled with enough loopholes to give the Democrats another dominate edge.