Saturday, December 31, 2011

Romney is Right about Campaign Finance

Since the Supreme Court has held that buying political ads is speech, protected by the first amendment, there is no longer any rationale for our limits on campaign contributions. Asked about campaign finance the other day, Mitt Romney said we should lift the $2500 limit on what individuals can contribute to candidates. It would be better, he said, if all the money now going to "Super Pacs" went to the campaigns instead, so the candidate would control his message and people would know who was buying which ads. He was right. The ridiculous charade of "independent" pacs who actually tailor their ads to help one candidate should end, and we should just let candidates raise all the money they can and spend it however they think will help them most. This change would also reduce the advantage we now give to rich people, who are allowed to spend as much of their own money as they want.

I think it's time to give up on the experiment of campaign finance reform.

No comments: