Candidate pledges to reform campaign finance
Alamogordo Daily News
By Ellen Wedum, Guest column
Article Launched: 05/18/2008 12:00:00 AM MDTThis year we have three real-life examples of how large sums of money influence elections. We have two wealthy Democratic candidates for New Mexico congressional seats, Harry Teague in the Second District and Don Wiviott in the Third, who have contributed more than $600,000 to their own campaigns.
This has triggered the "millionaire's clause," which allows their opponents to raise three times as much from individual donors $6,900 for the primary and the same amount for the general election, instead of the usual $2,300 limit. Both candidates are being criticized by their opponents, even though both are independent and successful businessmen, putting their own personal earnings on the line.
On the other hand, their opponents are justified in pointing out that it is difficult to take advantage of the raised limits, since donors with $6,900 or so laying around are a mite scarce here in New Mexico.
On the Republican side in the Second District, the national realtors political action committee has put more than $600,000 into TV and bulk mail in support of Monty Newman a realtor, but not a rich one. There is no penalty for doing this, as it is considered an "independent campaign," but has completely changed the dynamic of the primary race by giving Newman much-needed name recognition.
A May 14 Washington Post article, Obama, McCain Aim to Curb '527s', quotes Chris LaCivita: "We will attack Obama viciously on all fair issues, whether they are national security, whether they are taxes or the economy." LaCivita is one of the Republican strategists behind the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group that attacked Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry in 2004. Seems we will have to listen to all these smears and half-truths again in 2008.
These large sums of money prevent the widow with her two mites from making a significant contribution to a campaign. I think everyone, individuals and PACs alike, should be limited to something like $250 contributions, or loans to a campaign, or spending on behalf of a campaign. This, coupled with a $50 direct tax credit for individual political contributions (not per candidate, just total yearly contribution!) would allow everyone to be a political player.
Oregon has had this tax credit for many years, and Oregon also provides both the candidates and PACs with the option of buying space in a pamphlet that is prepared and distributed to all registered voters by the secretary of state. I'm not sure if the cost of the tax credits and the cost of printing and distributing the pamphlets is covered by what the secretary of state charges candidates and PACs for space, but zero fiscal impact will be my goal if I am elected to the House District 59 seat and have an opportunity to introduce some "two mites" legislation.
Wedum, of Cloudcroft, is running as a Democrat in House District 59.