Money Talks, Voters Walk

The ongoing debate regarding campaign finance reform is as cynical as the problem itself. It highlights Washington's general obsession with money and the fact that everyone in that city becomes irrational at its mere mention. Arguing about what fund raising practices are illegal or unethical misses the mark. The real problem is that the American people have been cut out of the process of electing their representatives. They have been replaced by every special interest with sufficient cash to attract the attention of officeholders and candidates. Self interest and cash-flush interest groups are eclipsing representational democracy and we are all paying the price. As long as big money does all the talking, voters will continue to walk away in disgust.

Both political parties and the Clinton White House are feeding the cynicism of the public with this phony campaign finance reform debate. The question of "where's the outrage of the people" has been raised again and again from the media. The answer is easy: the people aren't stupid. They understand President Clinton is pushing reform as a smoke screen to cover his scandal-of-the-week administration.

The real solution is simple. Four steps are essential to restoring our election system: 1) return the election process to the people, 2) level the field of voter contact in the one area that really counts - television, 3) trim the power of special interest groups, 4) reshape the FEC and give them real and immediate enforcement power.

We live in the greatest democracy in the world, so why not celebrate that fact every federal election day? Symbols can be very powerful. Ronald Reagan understood this, but it seems we've all forgotten. Let's make election day a symbol of our national pride by designating it a nationwide holiday. "Democracy Day" would be an opportunity for America to return the election process to the people. Everyone would be given the day off to vote and students would partake in half-day all-school programs in which candidates and parents would be encouraged to participate. Each voter would be given a receipt for their employer allowing them to be paid for the day. If people choose not to vote, then they would not receive a paid holiday. In exchange, President's Day would no longer be a federal holiday. Government employees should honor Presidents Washington and Lincoln in a way those two great men would have appreciated by providing public service on the day that commemorates their birthdays.

Providing equal voter access to challengers and incumbents alike is an important step to improving the campaign process. We need to return to the days when debates were not merely joint appearances overshadowed by spin doctors and awash in a sea of paid television commercials. It is time to put the heat back on the candidates by elevating the stature of debates and putting the candidates in the arena armed only with their wits and experience. This can be easily accomplished by establishing free-wheeling debates between candidates that aren't controlled by the media or political consultants. And, most importantly, the debates should be the only allowable political appearances that the candidates can make on television following Labor Day.

There is no doubt that television is the big gun in the campaign arsenal. It carries the most weight with voters and is responsible for running up the cost of elections. I propose eliminating paid TV advertisements after Labor Day and using debates as an equal forum for the candidates from the Democrat and Republican Parties as well as any candidate whose party received five percent or more in the last election for that office. Others could also participate by gathering 25,000 petition signatures for each congressional district and 50,000 for each senate race. Candidates could choose to run television ads after Labor Day, but in that case they would be excluded from the debates. All other forms of voter contact would be allowable and unrestricted, except that franking privileges for members of congress would be cut-off for six months before the election, unless they are not seeking another term.

In this way, the debates would be the biggest game in town and the stakes would be high. There would be four rounds of debates broadcast in prime time. The candidates would question each other and would choose the topics. Each candidate would have 15 seconds to formulate questions for his/her opponent. There would be two minutes to respond to the question, and the candidate who originated the question would then have 1.45 minutes for rebuttal. The entire debate could not exceed two hours. The candidates alone would set the tone and nature of the debate once it got underway. The cost of the debates would be covered by the federal government. It's high time to let each candidate's performance stand on its own and not include the usual stilted commentary from consultants and campaign advisors.

Third, to trim the undo influence of PACs, corporations, and unions, all so-called "soft money" to political parties should be eliminated. We should also end federal matching funds for the presidential election. It always amazes me to hear the presidential candidates bemoan the federal deficit, all the while sucking-in millions in taxpayer dollars to finance their campaigns.

Finally, the Federal Election Commission has become the laughing stock of a campaign system out of control. By the time it reaches decisions on campaign violations, years have past and the penalties carry no weight. For example, during the 1996 primary, all candidates had to sign a contract stating they would abide by spending limits in each state if they were accepting matching funds. In New Hampshire that limit was $660,000. I don't want to pick on anyone, but let's just start at the top of the list with Lamar Alexander. He spent more than the limit on television ads in Manchester alone.
It was a simple and clear violation of the law, but by the time the FEC decides to fine the Alexander for President '96 Committee, that committee will be closed and without funds. Now there's a new "Alexander 2000" committee. Mr. Alexander and his new committee will be completely off the hook and bear no responsibility for breaking the law. That's not right. Under my proposal, violators would be restricted from participating in the televised debates in the next election and would receive swift penalties in the form of substantial fines.

Mr. Alexander was not the only offender; the same sort of violations were made by Buchanan, Dole, Gramm, Keyes - all the candidates except Forbes and Taylor. The two of us used our own money. Well, to be precise, I used my own earned money. Steve used his daddy's money.

But we shouldn't stop there. Let's introduce a little personal responsibility. Today, some candidates will do whatever it takes to win. Many of them will bend or break the rules, thinking that they'll just deal with it after the election. This had to have been at work in the mind of Bill Clinton , who came out of the 1994 elections looking like a sure loser in 1996. "Raise the money," he must have said, " and we'll worry about the FEC after we win." Had he lost, no one would have noticed or cared about how he raised the money. But the real problem is that even when a candidate is fined, 1) it's never enough, and 2) the candidate doesn't have to pay personally. When the average person gets a speeding ticket, they can't pay it out of some "soft-money" campaign fund. Want your politicians to pay attention to the campaign finance laws? Make them pay the fines out of the family budget instead of the campaign budget.

Additionally, the public deserves more access to information on campaign fund raising and spending. The FEC should require more frequent filings by computer and make them accessible to everyone through the Internet.

My approach will reduce the cost of campaigns and eliminate the corrupting influence of special interests. It will return the election process to the people and level the playing field for challengers and incumbents. It also will keep the system fair by making the FEC take sure and swift action when campaign laws are broken.

Let us all remember our forefathers and mothers who built this country with hard work, fairness, and in many cases, their lives. We should not diminish the sacrifices they made by allowing the self interest of politicians and special interest groups to continue to corrupt our political system. It is time to stop talking and procrastinating. It's time to fix the problem. It's time to become a nation of doers, improve this democracy, and keep building America.