What campaign finance reform do we need?
I know the answer will probably be "get big money out of it", and to a point I agree. In a perfect world, I would like to see (example, random numbers) a cap of $100 per person donation to the Presidential campaign, $25 to a Senate campaign, $20 to a House campaign and $10 to a state or local campaign. Donations could only be made to your potential representatives, not sending $25 to the Senator in Idaho when I am in Florida. In practice that sounds great.
The two problems are 1) those caps prohibit my freedom of speech. If I want to donate $100,000 to a candidate I should be able to. Don't like it, give $100,000 to your candidate. Have it be in the open instead of hiding it behind some group with a patriotic sounding name. and 2) every "reform" creates more of a mess and unintended consequences. If there wasn't a ban for years on outside interests or corporations form contributing/advertising and Citizens United didn't have to sue, we probably wouldn't have all these Super PACswith multi-million budgets that we do now. At least they wouldn't be so centrally organized. Corporations would still send lobbyists to Washington to gain political favors.
What we really need is more debating. Three scripted debates don't do anything to show what the candidates really stand for, just sound bites being thrown back and forth. I would like a debate every two weeks from the end of conventions until the elections. Two hours each debate. Little moderation, more like Lincoln-Douglas. Any candidate that is on a majority of state ballots would be included. After every third debate, America could have a call in vote via phone or text message, and if a candidate/party didn't get 5% of that total, they aren't invited to the next round of debates. The Green, Socialist, Libertarians and anyone who can get on a majority of state ballots for President would be in the first series.
