Better and more ethical
By Josh Zaharoff
Posted on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 12:35:58 PM EST
Bravo, Baltimore Sun editors, for today's editorial, "Cleaner campaigns." Not only does it come out with full support for public financing of campaigns throughout the state, but it tackles head-on some of the half-measures and half-baked arguments against such reform.
For starters:
The solution is not - as some legislative leaders have suggested - to simply ban fundraising during the occasional special session. That would be helpful, but it's little more than a minor patch on the major problem of influence-peddling.
After all, if depositing money in a legislator's campaign account immediately before or after a vote is unethical, why is depositing the money a few weeks later perfectly fine? A political payoff (or the appearance of one) is still a payoff.
The real answer is to make legislators less dependent on large political donations by creating a system where incumbents and challengers alike could qualify to have their campaigns publicly financed.
Despite Senate President Mike Miller's obstinance and obstruction, this bill needs to pass in Maryland, to end the perception of corruption and the undue influence of special interests in our political process. The session is underway and Marylanders should be pressuring their state Senators, in particular, to support the Pinsky/Cardin Clean Elections bill. More good stuff from the Sun just below the fold.
A few notes on why this is a sensible and well-established reform:
Polls show overwhelming voter support for public financing in Maryland. Similar programs have been successful in Maine and Arizona, and Connecticut is implementing public financing for the first time in this year's election.
And the kicker, taking the whole "why should tax dollars pay for campaigns?" opposition talking point head-on:
Is it a perfect solution? Probably not. But it's better than anything else yet devised. While spending government dollars on political ads may give some people pause, it's a clear-cut bargain if it promotes a better and more ethical legislature.
You can't really leave a cash tip for an editorial board doing its democratic duty like this, but feel free to drop them a letter to the editor in support as a thank you and to reinforce the importance of the public financing bill.
Tags: maryland, public financing, clean elections, money in politics, in the states (all tags)
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