| |
| |
List of Illustrations | |
| |
| |
Introduction and Summary | |
| |
| |
Deficiencies of the Candidate-Centered Campaign Finance System | |
| |
| |
Enhancing the advantages of incumbents | |
| |
| |
Creating the appearance of corruption or buying influence | |
| |
| |
Favoring wealthy candidates | |
| |
| |
Discouraging high-quality people | |
| |
| |
Distracting elected officials from performing their functions | |
| |
| |
Promoting inefficient or wasteful use of campaign contributions | |
| |
| |
Empowering consultants, raising campaign costs, and reducing the policy significance of campaigns | |
| |
| |
Reducing useful information for voters | |
| |
| |
Enhancing the power of the "special interests" | |
| |
| |
Implementation of a Better System | |
| |
| |
| |
How The Current Campaign Finance System Works For Incumbents And Against Parties | |
| |
| |
The Campaign Finance System and Incumbent Protection | |
| |
| |
A Century of "Reform" | |
| |
| |
Congressional Action | |
| |
| |
Incumbent Advantages in the Current Campaign Finance Regime | |
| |
| |
Expenditure limits | |
| |
| |
Contribution limits | |
| |
| |
Coordinated expenditures | |
| |
| |
Soft money and the BCRA | |
| |
| |
Disclosure requirements | |
| |
| |
Corporations, unions, and PACs vs. political parties | |
| |
| |
527s, 501(c)s, and beyond | |
| |
| |
Public Financing of Political Campaigns | |
| |
| |
A Better Way? | |
| |
| |
| |
Other Reforms: Would They Make Things Better Or Worse? | |
| |
| |
More of the Same-The Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Model | |
| |
| |
The Government Financing Model | |
| |
| |
Government Financing in Theory | |
| |
| |
Government Financing in Practice | |
| |
| |
Flawed laws | |
| |
| |
Presidential public financing | |
| |
| |
State and local programs | |
| |
| |
Federal Proposals for Public Funding | |
| |
| |
From the Framers-A Minimalist Approach | |
| |
| |
Other Proposals for Campaign Finance Reform | |
| |
| |
Free television time | |
| |
| |
Communication vouchers | |
| |
| |
Patriot dollars | |
| |
| |
Only patriot dollars | |
| |
| |
The donation booth | |
| |
| |
Instantaneous Internet disclosure | |
| |
| |
Conclusion | |
| |
| |
| |
The Benefits Of Lifting Campaign Finance Restrictions On Parties | |
| |
| |
A More Competitive Electoral System | |
| |
| |
The Unique Role and Capabilities of Political Parties | |
| |
| |
Parties as Principal Funding Sources | |
| |
| |
Parties are efficient fundraisers | |
| |
| |
Candidates will prefer party funding | |
| |
| |
The appearance-of-corruption issue will remain for candidates raising their own funds | |
| |
| |
Candidates supported by parties will be more successful | |
| |
| |
Candidates supported by parties will be able to spend more time campaigning | |
| |
| |
The Benefits of Parties as Funding Sources | |
| |
| |
Reduced appearance of corruption | |
| |
| |
Reduced advantages for the wealthy | |
| |
| |
Better candidates | |
| |
| |
More time for lawmakers to do their jobs | |
| |
| |
More efficient use of campaign funds | |
| |
| |
Cheaper campaigns focused on parties' goals | |
| |
| |
More information for voters | |
| |
| |
Less power for special interests | |
| |
| |
Less gerrymandering | |
| |
| |
| |
The Governance Benefits Of Party-Centered Campaign Finance | |
| |
| |
The American Attitude toward Political Parties | |
| |
| |
The Cycles of Party Power: A Brief History of Parties in the United States | |
| |
| |
Current Attitudes toward Parties | |
| |
| |
Political Parties and American Democracy | |
| |
| |
The Benefits of a Greater Policy Role for Parties | |
| |
| |
Continuity in policy | |
| |
| |
Choice in public policy | |
| |
| |
Fostering of accountability | |
| |
| |
Aggregation of special interests | |
| |
| |
Support for governmental initiatives | |
| |
| |
Conclusion | |
| |
| |
Conclusion: Now, It's Up To Congress | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
Index | |
| |
| |
About The Authors | |