Comments on: Confessions Of A Neo-Mugwump

Dick Meyer Considers A New Approach To Campaign Finance Reform

[tejasdemo]

Mr. Meyer,

Your articles are getting alittle weird and hard to follow. Who are you hangin out with these days ? Back to basics.

[sparks224]

guysdigdirt,
Stop all your whining about George Soros, you're giving him way too much credit anyway, the right is financed by Corporate America, and all you can do is cry about George Soros. What about Michael Moor? Isn%u2019t he a boogey man too?

[sparks224]

guysdigdirt,
I have a problem with people who promote corruption while claiming to be for "Christian family values".

[guysdigdirt]

Letting in the non-profits has its ups and downs. There are a lot of legit non-profits that allow the little guy to be heard as they band together and that is a valid need. There are also those non-profits that are constructed by wealthy people like George Sorros who only want to get their way.

George Sorros and his cronies were successful in taking away many of the first amendment rights a few years ago. The media maintained their rights and thus did not loudly broadcast the offense against the American people at large. There are wealthy people with little or no scruples who will do what they can to give themselves more power.

I agree in part with brianwb. Let us make it a more structured process. Have unbiased groups (groups for checks and balances) make factual documentaries on each candidate. Show the facts on their pasts, what they have done and what they believe in. Then have a series of debates that are more structure than soapbox. Cut through the special interest and corporate buying of candidates.

[guysdigdirt]

This is being promoted by the party of "Christian family values".
Posted by sparks224
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So do you have problems with family values? Or do you have problems with Christians. Or do you have problems with anyone who promotes family values? Or do you just have problems?

[ioweign]

Letting non-profits be partisan and political could bring great people into the process. Letting them spend money freely could even make fundraising less onerous. In the same spirit, we should probably let individuals give a lot more than they can now.

On one condition - do away with NON-PROFIT classifications altogether. If religions want to preach politics then its NOT religion is it! Religion is big business anyway.

[sparks224]

"money is equivalent to speech in politics and so should be regulated only with great reluctance.

That's the second stupidest judicial ruling in the history of this country. The first was giving corporations the same rights as people."
Posted by omega39

It's not stupid, it's corrupt and moraly wrong. This didn't happen by accident or as a result of stupidity. AND it's being promoted by the party of "Christian family values".

[Rhoda Meier]

Yes - control the market. The current system does not give me a good sense of who the candidate is, who he/she has surrounded himself/herself with as advisors, what his/her strengths and weaknesses are. It's just a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Instead, I agree with the recommendation of a bio of each candidate and a single opportunity for them to share their visions and priorities, then an absolute ban on all political advertising and campaigning until shortly before the election. This would include video of all incumbents, even in news items. Think how refreshing that would be!

[omega39-2009]

money is equivalent to speech in politics and so should be regulated only with great reluctance.

That's the second stupidest judicial ruling in the history of this country. The first was giving corporations the same rights as people.

It would help if you would ask the question of what the money is for. As far as I can see, it is largely for television advertising time, either directly purchased, or indirectly filched by "newsmaking" for the cable news entertainment networks [hence the long campaigns], don't you agree?

Money in politics is like money anywhere else. It's use is market driven. So regulate the market, not the fundraising. The sellers in the market [including CBS] are the major part of the problem.