How to Turn a Politician into a Statesman

For further reading see:
Political Reform Issues, www.newsbatch.com/politicalreform.htm
Political Reform, www.constitution.org/cs_polit.htm
The Fatal Flaw in Our Political System, www.political-reform.net/

In a White House campaign, campaign money is king. No one really seems interested in campaign finance reforms, yet campaign finance reports all too clearly tell us that money is what it takes to get to the White House or into any elected office. What is campaign finance reform? We know how to make better political leaders, through political reform. But why don't we do it? Is it because the business of America is business. That's possible. And make no mistake, politics is very big business. Political reform has been around as long as politics but we never seem to be able to get it done. Until we do the general quality of our leadership will remain mediocre. Here are the ideas that political reform encapsulate. They are not new political reform ideas. They've been around a long time. Why is this important ? How long can we continue to thrive as a nation? Even the Roman Empire had an end. Surely political reform is a key part of the social reform that we need to keep us from entering a spiral of decline as a nation.

#1 What we must do and why we must do it : Single terms in office. Just for example, President 6 years, Senators 6 years, Congressmen 4 years, Governors, 6 years, Mayors, 6 years. Pass legislation for single terms of office. This eliminates many problems. As it exists today our Congressmen must run for office every 2 years. All our politicians must spend enormous time, effort and campaign money to remain in office. Everything revolves around staying in office. It's hard to forget Richard Nixon's White House campaign promise to reveal his plan to end the war in Vietnam after his Presidential re-election. The candidates need money to run. And when they take money there are strings attached. Legal?, yes. Good for government? no. Obstacles: Congress itself must pass this legislation and that's not likely. Very few in Washington seems willing to give up the perks, health benefits, salary, and status involved in being an elected official.

#2 What we must do and why we must do it : End campaign financing. Pass legislation that levels the playing field for all candidates. Simply put, if we can reach the the goal of giving each candidate in the race an equal amount of money and an equal amount of free TV air time to campaign with we would reap huge benefits. We would largely eliminate our political leaders acting on behalf of "special interests". It's February 22, 2008 and Hillary Clinton's Presidential campaign has already spent $121 million dollars. Her campaign is broke and she has just recently had to loan herself $5 million dollars to continue the primary race. Barrack Obama's campaign is raising $1 million dollars a day. What's interesting about this is that just this month Time Magazine ( where these figures come) most definitely equates campaign fund raising ability with leadership ability. That's what it's come to. Let's not forget the people who have the demonstrated ability to raise millions of dollars for candidates. What happens after the elections been won? Those people are rewarded with positions high up in the new administration. Their qualifications? Picking the right side and the ability to raise money. Libraries abound with books about the evils of a money driven political system, for example, Charles Lewis's, "The Buying of the Presidency". Obstacles: It's doubtfully the political will to do any of this exists. In addition television and the media in general won't give up the enormous revenues generated by campaign ads without a fight. Additionally public funding of political candidate's campaign races would have to come from taxes levied upon the public and the business sectors.

#3 What we must do and why we must do it : Abolish the electoral college and give the Presidential election back to the people. Until that happens there needs to be be proportional allocation of delegates in state primaries and the elimination of "super delegates" who are essentially free to vote any way they please. Our votes in the November presidential election are essentially meaningless. Right now in many states a candidate can garner hundreds of thousands of votes in a state primary election but if he or she looses by a single vote, the looser will come away with 0 electoral votes from that race. It's almost as if the American public isn't trusted to elect it's own president by popular vote. Obstacles: The logistics of such a reform are immense.

#4 What we must do and why we must do it: A new government agency to regulate and implement new campaign reform including the oversee of television and radio stations runs by local, state, and federal government. Just as the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) guards the publics air and water quality
this new would protect the public from abuse of the political process. It can be done. California, a progressive state, has already at least created a Political Reform Division. It's a step. Obstacles: Quality. The EPA and other large governmental bureaucratic agencies don't always do an adequate job. .

#5 What we must do and why we must do it: All candidates in all state, local and federal races should be required to submit to televised interviews on their positions and also be required to participate in debates. Not 30 minute debates with 4 candidates, but expansive discussion orientated debates that may last for several hours on a single topic. Right now we know very little about most of our candidates except for the campaign rhetoric we here over and over. With government channels these debates could be extended to state and local candidates and replayed for those working second or third shift. The more these candidates are exposed to the public the more the public will be able to make truly informed choices. Obstacles: Lack of political will to accomplish this.

Even accomplishing one of these measures would be a giant step forward.

For further reading see:
Political Reform Issues, www.newsbatch.com/politicalreform.htm
Political Reform, www.constitution.org/cs_polit.htm
The Fatal Flaw in Our Political System, www.political-reform.net/