Monday, November 23, 2009

Public Financing With An Eye On SCOTUS

By Sara Jerome  

Rep. John Larson, D-Conn.

Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., is the lead sponsor of legislation (the Fair Elections Now Act, H.R.1826) to enact a public financing system at the congressional level. With the Supreme Court considering a case that would scale back campaign finance law, he recently spoke about his bill with National Journal.

NJ: Could momentum pick up for the Fair Elections Now Act if the Supreme Court issues a broad decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission?

Larson: Yes.... [The bill] overcomes many of the constitutional questions that challenged other attempts at campaign finance reform. It's purely voluntary; it doesn't restrict speech or political say of any single group; it encourages -- and we learned well from [Barack] Obama -- small-dollar donations and grassroots efforts while it [takes away] the very corrosive [act] of dialing for dollars.

NJ: Do you see it as a palliative measure for the court's general thrust toward scaling back campaign finance law?

Larson: Yes, exactly. Critics might say the bill leaves it open for self-funders and people to continue to put money of their own in, staying with the current system. That is true. But I think therein lies the beauty. The public is way ahead of the Beltway and politics in this situation and understands that there is far too much money in the system and therefore far too much influence in the system. Far too many candidates for office are raising money instead of focusing on issues.

NJ: What other options does Congress have for enacting stronger election money laws in the short term?

Larson: To be honest with you, none that I'm focused on. I see this as the crown jewel for us. I see this as a very important first step. It's grassroots-oriented. It passes constitutional tests. That's why I think it has attracted everyone from Common Cause to SEIU to former members. On both sides of the aisle. Walter Jones [R-N.C.] supports our bill and is working his caucus. It demonstrates the depth and breadth of our support.

NJ: But Republican support is limited at this point.

Larson: Yes, it is, but we see interest in the evangelical community. Plus, [Republicans] need to do the same thing we do: dial for dollars. What Obama has demonstrated is that you can certainly be more than competitive by using a grassroots network.

NJ: Are there other strongholds of potential Republican support for this?

Larson: It's the kind of thing that perhaps would appeal to... House member Ron Paul [R-Texas]. It's got a very libertarian streak to it.

NJ: Any recent indicators that momentum is increasing?

Larson: The previous high for people who had signed on to publicly funded elections was about 50. To be at 125 is very optimistic. And all the outside groups from SEIU to Common Cause are delighted. And the number of former members weighing in on this -- from people like Warren Rudman to Toby Moffett -- there's been an awful lot of interest.

You even have groups of lobbyists coming out and saying they're for this as well. By taking the money out of it, it takes some of the sting out of how lobbyists feel they're portrayed. The people I know and who pride themselves on being purveyors of information feel they are oftentimes tainted because they are associated with big-dollar lobbyist donors, and they want to see that change, too.