| WASHINGTON
- March 24 - Campaign finance "deform" proposals that will more than double
individual and aggregate contribution limits are designed to make it easier for
politicians to raise money and should not masquerade as true reform, Public
Campaign said today. The remarks were made in response to a hearing chaired by
Senator -- and chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee -- Mitch
McConnell (R-KY) where raising contribution limits was discussed as part of
campaign finance reform efforts.
Meaningful campaign finance reform must address the rising cost of campaigns,
the influence of special interests, and the fundamentally anti-competitive
nature of the current system.
"Real reform must move us in the direction of equal participation and
representation for all Americans, regardless of their access to big money.
Raising contribution limits accomplishes none of the above, and in fact takes us
in the wrong direction," said Ellen Miller, executive director of Public
Campaign.
"These ideas are conjured up by politicians who have a narrow and
self-serving view of the campaign finance problem that leads them to define
reform as making it easier for them to raise money. Call raising contribution
limits what you want, but don’t call it campaign finance reform."
While an outright ban on soft money would be an important step in the right
direction, it should not be coupled with an increase in current limits on hard
money. Proponents of such an approach say it will result in less special
interest money because any hard money increases will be less than the soft money
eliminated. But raising the hard money limits would likely encourage this same
wealthy and disproportionately influential elite to give even more, in the form
of hard money rather than soft money. Such an outcome only further
disenfranchises the majority of people who don't give money and perpetuates an
inherently undemocratic system.
Public Campaign is a national non-profit, non-partisan organization working
on behalf of comprehensive reform.
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