There's no question: if we want a Congress that works for us full time, we need full public financing of elections. Further evidence comes in the form of the article from today's Roll Call (sub. required) indicating that the longer work week proposed for Congress this year will mean more and more fundraisers to satisfy the need for campaign cash.

From the article:

When Democratic leaders promised to expand their in-session workweek to a full five days this year, fundraiser Monica Notzon had one thing on her mind: more days for Members to hold events in Washington, D.C.

“Honestly — we’ve already begun to schedule them,” said Notzon, a founder of the GOP firm Bellwether Group, in late December. “I think we’re going to see events nearly every day of the week.”

Notzon wasn’t the only one to take notice of new opportunities — or burdens, as some donors and even Members view them. The city’s thousands of lobbyists, some of whom spend as much time writing checks and raising cash as they do trolling the halls of Congress, are preparing for a calendar filled with fundraisers any time Members are in town.

 

“If they’re here more, that’s what they’ll do,” said Dan Danner, the top lobbyist at the National Federation of Independent Business. “There’ll be more fundraisers. The need for money to finance campaigns seemingly has no limits.”

We send people to Congress to represent the best interests of their constituents, can they do that when they're spending every night courting wealthy interests for campaign cash? A Congress that works in the best interest of the public is a Congress elected by the public and for that to truly happen we need public financing.