I've spent the past two weeks working in Iowa to reach out to activists and organizations here to help get Presidential candidates talking about--and making commitments on--full public financing of campaigns.  This may be the one chance we have in the next four five-plus years for regular people to get in close enough contact with the candidates to bring this issue to their attention.

I find it especially relevant because so many candidates talk about how they'll "change Washington," change the culture, take on the greedy interests, "represent the people," and I'd like them to get into specifics.  And if they really want to do that, well, public financing is the obvious answer.

So I was incredibly refreshed to watch the Yearly Kos presidential forum this weekend and see not one, not two, not three, but at least four--and perhaps all--of the Democratic candidates saying, "we support public financing."

The clip is about eight minutes long, and it's all good, although the part I'm talking about starts at minute four and continues until nearly the end.

But this isn't just my issue.  This makes sense.  For one, voters are smart enough to want a change in Washington and to appreciate a candidate who can get specific about how they'll do it.  Maybe some are satisfied with a sound bite, but caucus-goers in Iowa, primary voters across the country, and even the general population is, I think, wise enough to know a real plan from a platitude.

And oh yeah, we also polled the public last year and found that to be overwhelmingly true: 74% of voters support full public financing of campaigns.

It's not just a good change for democracy, it's a good policy to promote if you want to get elected.  I hope the candidates catch on; I hope they paid attention to that sustained applause and partial standing ovation that Chris Dodd received when he mentioned public financing of campaigns at the forum.

In case they didn't, in Iowa we'll continue to ask them.