Subject: Fwd: Howard Dean's Hypocrisy Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2003 13:12:06 -0500 To: Aristedes DuVal From: Bob Armstrong Aristedes , Because you seem to be more interested in all this than I ever would have expected , here's a posting I just got that lays out the reality of "Campaign Financing" pretty clearly . You can skip down to the start of the main essay . --- Original Message --- From: RCRreport@realcampaignreform.org To: =A0 Cc: Sent: Sat, 15 Nov 2003 09:57:49 US/Eastern Subject: Howard Dean's Hypocrisy > >=A0RealCampaignReform.org - Fighting the Good Fight > >=A0|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*| > >=A0Op-ed: Let It Die > >=A0But first... >=A0A MEMO >=A0From: Jim Babka, President >=A0=A0=A0=A0RealCampaignReform.org, Inc. > >=A0No word from the Supreme Court this week. I've contended >=A0that the "window" during which the decision would come down >=A0would fall between one year before the presidential >=A0election (early November) and January (probably before MLK >=A0day). We're in that window now, and with the rumors >=A0swirling that a decision could've come down this week, it >=A0seems likely that we'll get a decision soon. > >=A0Today's commentary comes from the Libertarian Writer's >=A0Group and is written by our friend Steve Dasbach. There's >=A0been much ado about Howard Dean's decision to forgo primary >=A0matching funds because they come with campaign spending- >=A0limit rules. George W. Bush made the same decision four >=A0years ago and has already made the same decision again. In >=A0typical government fashion, the attempt to legislate >=A0behavior is failing - taxpayer's are footing the bills of >=A0failed campaigns. > >=A0But Steve Dasbach points up the real problem with the >=A0presidential campaign finance system, it's designed to give >=A0incumbents yet another advantage over their opponents - a >=A0theme you're now quite familiar with. The article is >=A0direct, well-written, and clear. This is an article I would >=A0recommend you send to friends who aren't as familiar with >=A0the campaign finance issues as you are. > >=A0Jim Babka >=A0President >=A0RealCampaignReform.org, Inc. > >=A0=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D > >=A0Let it Die >=A0by Steve Dasbach > >=A0Howard Dean has decided to forgo federal matching funds and >=A0run his primary campaign with political welfare courtesy of >=A0the taxpayers. Good for him. > >=A0It would be great if this were a decision of principle, if >=A0Gov. Dean had belatedly recognized the immorality of taxing >=A0Americans to finance his presidential aspirations. Alas, it >=A0appears to merely be another example of Dean's political >=A0opportunism. > >=A0Dean determined that with President Bush on track to raise >=A0nearly $200 million dollars to finance an uncontested >=A0primary election, it would be political suicide to stay >=A0within the $45 million expenditure cap that goes with >=A0accepting the political dole. While he made a big show of >=A0"asking permission" from his supporters to flip-flop his >=A0previous support of public financing, the whole exercise >=A0was rigged to produce the outcome Dean wanted. > >=A0Of course, Bush's decision to forgo federal funds was no >=A0more principled than Dean's. Like Dean, Bush still plans to >=A0take nearly $80 million from the taxpayers to run his >=A0campaign in the fall, and both of their respective >=A0political parties will receive an additional $15 million or >=A0so to stage 4-day campaign infomercials, otherwise known as >=A0the national conventions. > >=A0Even without Bush and Dean feeding at the public trough >=A0during the primaries, the public financing system is in >=A0deep trouble. Estimates are that by 2008, there won't be >=A0enough money in the system to take care of all the >=A0political welfare kings and queens that can't compete in >=A0fundraising with the likes of Bush and Dean and are >=A0perfectly happy to let the taxpayers help foot the bill for >=A0their presidential ego trips. > >=A0This shortfall is in spite of the move several years ago to >=A0triple the check-off from $1 to $3, which was done to >=A0address an earlier shortfall in the fund. The problem is >=A0that taxpayers don't seem to like the idea of their tax >=A0money going to fund political campaigns. Fewer and fewer >=A0people check the box each year, even though we're assured >=A0that checking the box won't increase our tax or decrease >=A0our refund. While I haven't seen the latest figures, >=A0participation had dropped to 12% a couple of years ago and >=A0was heading for single digits. > >=A0Taxpayers are sending a clear message to politicians about >=A0funding political campaigns with tax money - stop. The >=A0system doesn't need to be rescued - it needs to be killed. > >=A0The truth is, the entire campaign finance system, from >=A0public funding to contribution limits, is designed to >=A0protect incumbents and frustrate challengers, especially >=A0those who dare to bypass the Democratic and Republican >=A0parties. It's not a coincidence that Congressional >=A0reelection rates are 98.5% and climbing -- it's the law. > >=A0The traditional method to launch an insurgent, challenger >=A0campaign was for the candidate to raise seed money from a >=A0few individuals, in very large amounts, based on shared >=A0positions on issues or personal relationships. For example, >=A0Eugene McCarthy raised a few million dollars from a handful >=A0of people opposed to the war in Vietnam to launch his 1968 >=A0insurgent presidential campaign. His strong showing in the >=A0New Hampshire primary led to President Johnson's decision >=A0to not seek reelection and paved the way for Robert >=A0Kennedy's entry into the race. > >=A0That method of launching a campaign is illegal under >=A0today's campaign finance laws, leaving personal wealth as >=A0the only remaining loophole. Again, it's no coincidence >=A0that the most significant independent presidential campaign >=A0in the past 35 years was self-financed by billionaire Ross >=A0Perot's in 1992, or that the Democrats and Republicans >=A0increasingly turn to millionaires to challenge Senate >=A0incumbents. It's the law. > >=A0The decisions of Dean and Bush to forgo federal matching >=A0funds will likely lead to calls to bail out the system by >=A0raising the amounts that can be matched, raising spending >=A0caps, and increasing the 1040 check-off to as much as $10. >=A0However, there's a much easier way to fix our rotten, >=A0incumbent-protection campaign finance system. > >=A0Just let it die. > >=A0- About the author - > >=A0Steve Dasbach was National Chairman of the >=A0Libertarian party, 1993-1998 and National >=A0Director of the Libertarian Party, 2000-2002. > > >=A0|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*|*| > >=A0RCR Report is the email advisory service of >=A0RealCampaignReform.org -- a nonprofit, nonpartisan, >=A0educational and lobbying organization dedicated to >=A0promoting free and open elections and a robust, >=A0participatory democracy for all Americans. > >=A0UNSUBSCRIBE from this list by sending a text (no HTML) email= to >=A0distribution-request@RealCampaignReform.org >=A0with the word >=A0=A0unsubscribe >=A0on the first line of the body of the message. >=A0Please leave the rest of the message blank. > >=A0SUBSCRIBE to this list by sending a text (no HTML) email to >=A0distribution-request@RealCampaignReform.org >=A0with the word >=A0=A0subscribe >=A0on the first line of the body of the message. >=A0Please leave the rest of the message blank. > >=A0TO CONTRIBUTE to RealCampaignReform.org, visit >=A0https://www.fbs.net/rcr/rcrcontribute.cfm. --=A0 =A0Bob Armstrong -- http://CoSy.com -- 212-285-1864 Computing Environment : =A0http://CoSy.com/CoSy/ A WTC vision : http://CoSy.com/CoSy/ConicAllConnect/ Liberty : http://CoSy.com/Liberty.htm Restore our Right to Relax : =A0http://ny.lp.org/cgi-bin/petition.cgi?Against_the_Smoking_Ban =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A02003/11/15 1:07:30 PM