In the world of politics today there are many problems. Nasty campaigning and
Slamming ones opponent have become commonplace in today's world. This is a very
Distinct problem. Yet the root of the problem isn't the candidates themselves, in most
Cases. The national committees for the republicans and the democrats is at the true heart
Of the problem. The money which is spent by those massive institutions to their
party's candidate in each election is staggering. Therefore the problem lies not in the
candidates themselves, but in the money which is used to finance their campaigns.
Campaign finance reform is a hot topic these days yet none the less a very important
topic which must be addressed.
Campaign financing has very specific rules, which are governed with an iron rod.
However the major party's have found ways to cheat. A loop hole which must be closed
To ensure that democracy thrives for many years to come. The rules for campaign
financing are simple. Individuals are permitted to give, $1000.00 per candidate per
election. Where as interest groups are allowed to donate $5000.00 per candidate per
election. These are relatively small amounts compared to the hundreds of millions of
dollars spent by both major party's this election season. So where does the money come
from? The answer to this question is quite simple. The national committees of the major
party's, have many accounts which are non-federal. These accounts are used to accrue
what is known as soft money. There are no limits on how much the party's can spend at
local levels for grass roots party building. So the money in the non-federal regulated
accounts is funneled to states, which use the money to endorse or bash one of the
candidates. The answer to the problem is simple reform the laws which govern campaign
While the answer may be simple achieving the solution is quite a different story.
The major party's control the law making body of the United States. Many of these
Congressmen owe their political position to what is known as soft money. This soft
money comes from interest groups and major corporations. So the legislators are in a
very tough position. However if they were to reform the laws the role of these interest
groups, and the money of these corporations would be greatly diminished. Also, it would
provide a level playing field in all congressional districts around the nation.
This would provide a level playing field because the election rate of incumbent
Congressmen is more than ninety-percent. Why? Then you might ask is the re-election
rate so high. Because the party is much more likely to spend the soft money in places
where they have seats, and know they can retain them. Whereas the committee for the
party which is not in office in a certain district, may be dissuaded by a lesser known
candidate in that district. Feeling that they can not steal the seat from the other party, the
committee is less likely to spend soft money to keep up. The signifiganceof this is that
in ninety-five percent of elections in the 1996 campaign season. The candidate who
spent the most money won. It was also proportional in that whoever had spent more
money than the other candidate won by more votes. So if you outspend your opponent
by one-million dollars you win by five percent. If you outspend by two-million you win
by ten percent. One can see why this is such a disturbing problem in politics today.
To eliminate soft money from politics would be to restore purity in a sense, to the
Political process. Reforming the laws so that the political party's can't...