Peace in '08 - Campaign Finance

I heard people talking about wanting to support candidates who do not take PAC money. Since some candidates are catching on to the idea that people are turned off by certain types of political contributions, they are making pledges to refuse money from certain contributors. This opens up the possibility to widen the net. If a candidate is going to seize the high moral ground by refusing money from big oil, pharmaceutical companies and HMOs, why accept money from military contractors, pesticide companies, and any company that doesn’t pay a living wage to all of its employees?

We also heard people talk about running television ad-free campaigns. I think Rep. Ellison was right when he cautioned against the idea of a rigid ad-free standard in a statewide race. I would suggest that limited positive issue-based ads would be the standard, not an absolute ban.

In any case, as we ask “peace candidates” to run a different kind of campaign, we must offer a viable alternative to big money and big media politics. So, let’s have some ideas!

1. What alternative revenue sources could we offer a peace candidate?
2. If a peace candidate is to use few to no television commercials, what are some alternative methods of communication that be used to reach enough voters to win a statewide election?
3. Is it reasonable to put higher standards on candidates than what the law requires? What legislation needs to be passed to put all candidates on a somewhat level playing field?

Rebekah Smith