Bob Geary at the Independent Weekly does a good job of defining two problems with elections in North Carolina and
outlining solutions for them. Unfortunately, he separates the third
problem into four symptoms and so misses the right solution.

  • The two he gets right: gerrymandered districts and too high a bar for third-party ballot access
  • The one he gets wrong: limits on fundraising by candidates

Because he gets the link between money and political speech wrong,
Geary doesn’t see the Gordian knot for what it is and devises piecemeal
answers to the problems that arise from the first inappropriate
intervention in how candidates run their campaigns.

  • Wrong: the Black machine exists because few candidates are able to build a broad enough network to raise $400,000 in $5 increments
  • Wrong: the Republican Legislative Majority committee (RLM),
    MoveOn.org and other 527s exist because those few people who have the
    money and commitment are barred from contributing it directly to
    candidates, leaving candidates with little control over their own
    message
  • Wrong: Campaign spending limits are meaningless because
    incumbents get plenty of free publicity in the name of public service
    — how many pieces of mail do you get from your legislator in
    non-election years?
  • Wrong: private campaign finance means candidates must
    prove some ability to win or they won’t get donors. Public Campaign
    Financing     commits taxpayers to subsidize incumbents even more