Campaign Financing: Four Views
Rule, James B.
Generating political action from private resources poses some sticky problems for the democratic left. We value grassroots political action—so we like the idea of electoral campaigns and other...
...As in the first phase, journalistic activity and public rallies would help spread candidates' messages...
...Next, consider a radically new informational context for these campaigns...
...Needless to say, a proposal like this will not be implemented in the United States, or even widely discussed, any time soon...
...Funding for participation in this primary would be limited to contributions from individual citizens—excluding businesses and all other organizations—with a 10 • DISSENT Comments and Opinions strict maximum of $1,000 per contributor...
...There might be officially sponsored debates—aired again at public expense...
...Here new speeches would be solicited and disseminated, and new campaign materials generated...
...Thus my proposal aims to be radical in the best sense of that term—pointing to democratic possibilities that are well removed from current reality, yet eminently feasible...
...But imagine a radically different set of ground rules for presidential nominations—a two-stage, nationwide primary system...
...One can imagine many innovative arrangements that would countervail against the corrupting role of money in political campaigns, while actually enhancing popular participation...
...Instituting the principles described here would eliminate the advantages of money contributions from single sources—and create strong incentives to broaden the base of political campaigns...
...The problem is to break that monopoly...
...And the time required for the entire process could be greatly condensed...
...The fact that each phase of the campaign involved the entire country at once (rather than just one or a few states at a time) would focus public attention dramatically...
...Instead of competing to woo big donors, and thereby to dominate the air waves, candidates would be compelled to put their "best shot" in a limited number of campaign communications...
...A step like this would obviously curtail the political clout of America's most powerful institutions— General Motors, the American Medical Association, the National Rifle Association, and so on...
...In America, that is a lot of things, and political results are obviously among them...
...But they would not legally be able to purchase airtime or other forms of publicity beyond that afforded by the budget constraints noted above...
...The ability of organizations as organizations to amass and target financial resources would count for much less— while their ability to inspire their members' active participation would suddenly count for a great deal...
...Campaigns are wastefully long...
...The second phase of the national primaries would be a runoff for those finishing at the top of the first poll...
...access to fat cats and monied interests would count for virtually nothing...
...Often it looks as though the values of participatory politics and those of creating a level political playing field run in a collision course...
...SUMMER • 1997...
...Here the distorting role of big money is widely acknowledged...
...By the time most voters get to express their wishes (if indeed they ever do) the terms of public debate will likely have been set by whoever succeeds in establishing early "momentum" in this special contest...
...Note the far-reaching significance of limiting campaign funds to individual contributions...
...Worse, the political possibilities presented to most of the nation's voters are apt to be determined by which candidate can accumulate the biggest bankroll for the February contest in the tiny and atypical state of New Hampshire...
...But the same rigorous limits on cash contributions noted above would apply...
...Money would not matter nearly so much in American politics if there were alternatives to high-priced media time as means for conveying information to citizens...
...The "free market" now prevailing in public communications favors those with the big bucks required to monopolize public attention...
...We value grassroots political action—so we like the idea of electoral campaigns and other forms of politicking as populist, participatory activities...
...As in many another domain, the "freedom" afforded by today's markets in public communication is spurious...
...But in fact, the choices are not so stark...
...Candidates would thus presumably range from established professional politicians to leaders of sundry minorities endowed with the determination and donated labor necessary to collect the necessary signatures...
...But we also deplore the massive inequalities of American society— inequalities of wealth, and hence of all the things that money can buy...
...They will not willingly yield their advantage to any such populist scheme as this...
...The first of the two ballots in the national primary would be open to a wide variety of candidates— say, to anyone who could amass several hundred thousand voters' signatures collected from anywhere in the country...
...Candidates would be free to hold public rallies, kiss babies, be interviewed by independent journalists, or engage in any number of other participatory activities available to them today...
...But it would also exclude institutional contributions from the AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving—in short, it would smite the wicked and the righteous with the same sword...
...My point is the kind of changes required, rather than any version of the fine detail...
...We urgently need to start considering substitutes for the arrangements that now in effect put the attention of the public up for bid—and which degrade the quality of public discourse in the process...
...In all these matters, having a lot of committed supporters would count for a great deal...
...One could (and should) entertain all sorts of tinkering with the details envisaged here...
...Contests over the role of money in these settings are largely struggles over information— conflicts about what information will be accessible to the public, when, how, and under what auspices...
...Government subsidies, if permitted, would be in direct proportion to these private contributions...
...Such innovations would enhance both the interplay of ideas and the dynamism of political participation in the nominating process...
...Further campaign materials would be prepared at the expense of the campaigns, but disseminated at public expense via libraries, post offices, and the World Wide Web...
...Those who control our national political life have gained their ascendancy by manipulating the very options that would be curtailed in this plan...
...But these markets are not part of some natural order of things...
...With the right political will, legislation could foster new, and vastly more democratic, markets of political ideas...
...Consider the presidential primaries...
...All candidates would be expected to make a basic campaign speech, which would be widely diffused by television and radio (on time furnished in the public interest by all holders of broadcast licenses), as well as print and videotape...
...Other donations could consist only of citizens' labors...
Vol. 44 • July 1997 • No. 3
