There is a big push right now to solve the problem of ethics in
politics by having publicly funded campaigns. First, publicly
funded campaigns are taxpayer-financed campaigns. Using the words
“public financing” without using “taxpayer” makes it easier for the
public to digest, maybe because some people don’t realize “public
financing” means their tax dollars.
Besides the fact that these
systems lead to higher taxes and force taxpayers to support candidates
they oppose (voluntary funding never works for these systems, including
NC’s own judicial election system), these systems also hurt, not help,
the democratic process.
In this Findlaw article,
which discusses John Kerry’s appearance on “Meet the Press,” Senator
Kerry explains how his biggest mistake in the 2004 election was
accepting federal financing.
According to Kerry, he hurt his
ability to get his message out and respond to attacks. While this
may not be his biggest mistake in 2004, he accurately acknowledges the
problems of public financing. Trying to create some type of
spending limit (even voluntary) simply serves to limit political speech.
