As my voice mail and e-mail confirm, today is the end of this disclosure period for candidates, and many are "dialing for dollars."
When people ask me for money, it reminds me of how our campaign finance laws have turned our candidates into fundraisers. Really, for a candidate to be viable for an average House seat, they have to be prepared to raise at least a hundred grand, probably more. It takes the average Georgian more than two years to earn a hundred thousand dollars.
Is there a correlation between the ability of someone to get people to give them money and their ability to govern? Actually, maybe there is an inverse correlation.
Money can be an indicator of support, or lack there of, at the grassroots, but too often, at all levels, disclosures are filled with big contributions from big business and special interest groups. That's why that number near the top of the form that totals the "under $100" contributions is so important. In the Governor's race, I was impressed that on a percentage basis, Cathy Cox has had much higher numbers in this category than either Taylor or Perdue. That is, I believe, is an indication of her broad, grassroots support
Also, when I consider where I am going to invest my political dollars, I am looking for candidates who have open and ethical government at the top of their agenda, who see the need for ethics reform, and who do not use "well, they did it, too" as an excuse for creating slush funds like Speaker Richardson's. Apparently, he can receive unlimited contributions from unnamed sources, and then re-distribute that money to others who need it more than he does.
If elections are going to be bought and sold, don't we voters at least have the right to know who's doing the buying and selling?
Cathy Cox has led on the issue of open and ethical government, while Sonny Perdue has remained silent about the Speaker's Fund and even removed from the Ethics Commission a person known as a strong and fair advocate for ethical practices.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Who Will You Support?
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3 comments:
I'm confused. Are you saying that you approve of the Speaker's slush fund, showers of gifts to members by lobbyists etc.? OR are you using the "they do bad things too" defense? Either way, if Sonny's strategy is to run against Cynthia, then he is coming home to Middle Georgia in January, because Cathy Cox, not Cynthia McKinney (who is supporting Mark Taylor) will be his opponent in November.
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Fundraisers for our Democratic candidates are a necessity. We gotta keep in raising money for them. Even tens and twenties can add up to hundreds and thousands. And that's what it costs to run for office these days--hundreds of thousands. It's just a fact of political life. So, don't delay! Donate to a Democrat today!
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