Must reading for those serious about saving our republic.

books:

	• Money and Politics (New Democracy Forum) David Donnelly, Janice Fine, ... Beacon Press, 1999 - 97 pages average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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Must reading for those serious about saving our republic.

This book is 'required reading' for anyone who gives serious thought to and is deeply concerned by the crisis facing our country in the form of our corrupting system of financing political campaigns. The authors have been 'in the trenches' for some time in the battle to restore sense and balance to our country's political arena. The format in which the authors outline their proposal, then solicit replies from different perspectives, then finally retort and rebuke most other potential solutions, provides the reader with a blueprint for debate. Since there is no longer any meaningful argument in favor of the current political financing system, this book proceeds in the logical direction of focusing the debate on the most likely remedies. Now if only the general public would realize that, until campaign finance reform is a reality, the other great issues of our time cannot be solved. My only reservation regarding the author's work is the lack of specific examples which the more casual reader may need to understand the gravity of the issue. Nonetheless, the book is highly reccomended.

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An excellent debate on the various reform proposals

We all know that there is money in politics, but we don't know how to get it out. This book provides an excellent debate on the various options, ranging from full public financing to vouchers to a constitutional amendment to allow limits on campaign contribution levels. In spite of the good arguments made by the debaters, the authors are right on target.

Of the two ways to fund elections, public vs. private money, full public funding presents the most reasonable. Perhaps a more detailed discussion about the incredibly low cost to taxpayers ($10 per year per taxpayer at the federal level, and $5 at the state level), would have better satisfied the debaters. Contrasting that with the $500 to $1500 per year taxpayers are now paying through the hidden-tax system, taxpayer funded elections are a real bargain.

This is a must-read for all campaign reformers, term limiters, anti-taxers and government reducers. Too few Americans realize that by getting private money out of politics, we'll reduce the unnecessary government spending that causes high taxes, reduce the size of government, and eliminate the need for term limits. This book shows how to accomplish this goal.

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Money In Politics? The Solution Is Here

An excellent little pamphlet summarizing a number of interesting solutions to our current highly flawed campaign system. Not only do Fine, Miller and Donnelly offer a compelling solution that has already proven effective at the state level, they also allow their critics to rebut their arguments in the book, this is rare indeed, and welcome. Rarely do you see a volume so evenly discuss and represent contrary and conflicting viewpoints so well. It is certainly food for thought, and will provide even those opposed to the Fine/Miller/Donnelly solution with interesting reading. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in contemporary politics, but especially those who feel that money has distorted or destroyed the American system. Highly recommended.

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A Necessary Ingredient or a Despicable Scourge?

Following the 2000 and 2004 election fiascos, it has become increasingly pertinent to debate the utility of money, especially those from special-interest groups, in our election process.
In Money and Politics, David Donnelly, Janice Fine and Ellen S. Miller collaborate to explain how reform can make elections more democratic. Donnelly, Director of the Reform Voter Project, Fine, Senior Fellow at the Center for Community Change, and Miller, publisher of Tompaine.com, describe the insidious nature of today's politics where politicians auction themselves to the highest bidder; they also express their support for public financing of elections as a panacea.
There is much to enjoy and like about this book. As a pamphlet of about 100 pages, it is unencumbered with political jargon, instead relying on the simplicity of language to serve its purpose. Seeking to educate, attempting to proffer the best solution to this rampant corruption, the writers allow differing viewpoints from varied contributors including Senator Russell Feingold and Thomas E. Mann. This makes it campaign reform a la carte.

Nevertheless I harbor doubts about the efficacy of their reform. For example when they say, "though Americans accept the legitimacy of economic inequality, they do not generally accept that the rich are entitled to greater political representation," they attempt to deny the obvious: The Founding Fathers never believed in the political equality between the common man and the aristocrat. How else can you explain property owners being the only ones initially allowed to vote?
Even as I agree with Phelps that "rich people have an unfair advantage over the rest of us," I disagree that this is inimical to the system. Since the rich have more to lose, what is wrong with their having a greater stake in the political process?
There is also the legitimate concern of voters wondering why their tax dollars are used to fund candidates they dislike. In a country founded on freedom and choice, is it not detestable that candidates could be financially supported by people who would never vote for them. Moreover this book was written before the revolutionary effects of 527's and Internet campaigning were seen. These new phenomena appear to be leveling the political playing field. These developments are not addressed here, so interested readers will have to look elsewhere.

Like Ackerman, I have to ask: "Do we really want equality at the cost of shutting down debate?". I believe not. Seeking clean politics is expecting what has never been and what will never be.
Still whether you support campaign-finance reform or not, as an introduction to this essential subject, one cannot do much better than Money and Politics.

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Why we need true reform and how it can finally be achieved

"American politics has become an arms race, with money doing the work of missiles. One side escalates and the other follows suit. As the spiral grows it is undermining the soul of democracy. But here's the good news: the majority of Americans want a new system of campaign finance. Every time voters have had a chance to choose a different way, they have spoken loud and clear. Clean money initiatives are proving the citizens' response to the corruption that has turned our elections into auctions. This book is the blueprint to returning democracy to politics."

?Bill Moyers
As we approach our next presidential election, few issues loom larger than campaign finance reform. While the Senate has agreed to vote on a sweeping bill for reform at the federal level, state voters have passed, or are about to vote on, ballots that limit the amount of private money flooding into campaign war chests.

Money and Politics argues that only the full public funding of elections, as enacted with the adoption in Maine of the Clean Elections Act, can solve our campaign financing crisis. Their evaluation of its pros and cons is particularly timely as parts of the Maine option are being considered in competing congressional reform bills. Many of the contributors to this volume have worked closely on campaign finance reform, including Senator Russell Feingold, coauthor of the landmark McCain-Feingold Act.

Persuasive, accessible, and controversial, this book makes an important contribution to our debate about the most democratic way to elect the politicians who represent us.

NEW DEMOCRACY FORUM
A series of short paperback originals exploring creative solutions to our most urgent national concerns. The series editors (for Boston Review), Joshua Cohen and Joel Rogers, aim to foster politically engaged, intellectually honest, and morally serious debate about fundamental issues?both on and off the agenda of conventional politics.

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