Public Campaign Action Fund - Public Financing

Tipped Hats All Around

Katie Schlieper — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:04:12 -0500

Mary Ann Lindley of the Tallahassee Democract gives a "tip of the hat" to Florida state Sen. Alex Villalobos for declaring his support for public financing of campaigns and I in turn tip my hat to Lindley for a well-written editorial on why it's high time we address how campaigns are financed, and policy written.

Chance to Run

Katie Schlieper — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:19:40 -0500

Bob Ferguson, a King County Councilmember in Washington reflects on his first run for office, the money he needed to fund it, and the reason he supports a move towards full public financing of election in his county in this op-ed for the Seattle Times.

Wisconsin Forum

Katie Schlieper — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:58:16 -0500

Debate rages on over bringing public financing of elections to Wisconsin judicial and legislative elections, this time at a forum hosted by Wisconsin Common Cause and attended by people on both sides of the issue, including sponsors of a bill that would have publicly funded races for the state Supreme Court -- a bill that cleared the Senate but didn't make it out of the state Assembly. Doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon though -- keep up the fight!

Keith and Dave

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:38:59 -0500

Keith Olbermann, host at MSNBC, and Dave Letterman talk about the presidential race, campaign contributions, and public financing of elections in this clip courtesy of Crooks and Liars. Awesome!

Change of Agenda

Katie Schlieper — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:26:54 -0500

Charlie Cray of the Center for Corporate Policy writes on Alternet a bout how much is likely to change when a new President is elected this year. Bottom line: not much, unless several reforms -- including full public financing of elections -- are instituted to curb the influence of corporate money on candidates and policy.

Drawing a Distinction

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:53:21 -0500

Public Campaign Action Fund's David Donnelly has a letter in today's Washington Post explaining the distinction we've been talking about when it comes to how Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) measure up on the issue of public financing of elections: Obama has pledged support for public financing of federal elections, McCain has not.

Use It or Lose It

Katie Schlieper — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:49:22 -0500

Much as the Philadelphia Inquirer did yesterday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch raps Sen. Barack Obama across the knuckles for his recent statements about the presidential public financing system and whether or not he would run with public funding in the general election. The paper would rather see the Republican and Democratic candidates for president use public funding in the general election than mince words about the value of the program.

Wafflish?

Katie Schlieper — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:30:13 -0500

The Philadelphia Inquirer, which has a history of supporting public financing of elections, gets on Sen. Barack Obama's case for his remarks about possibly opting out of the presidential public financing program because of his so-called "parallel public financing system" -- meaning his large number of small dollar donors. Accusing him of the dreaded "waffling," the Inquirer calls on Obama to shore up his reformer credentials and not twist around terminology around public financing.

Which Way

Katie Schlieper — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:32:07 -0500

It looks as though Sen. John McCain, presumptive Republican nominee for President will opt in to the public financing program for the general elections, while Sen. Barack Obama, his potential rival, isn't likely to do the same. Both campaigns are firing off statements defending their respective ethical beachheads but -- lucky me! -- I can position my ruler above the knuckles of both men, and raise my eyebrow in a scolding manner.

Take a Stand and Deliver

Katie Schlieper — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:45:45 -0500

Things were hopping at the Willard Hotel in downtown DC yesterday, site of Sen. John McCain's lobbyist-hosted fundraiser. We headed down there to give Sen. McCain the letter we've been gathering signatures for asking for Sen. McCain's commitment to support of public financing of elections for all federal offices. We were successful in making our way through the lobbyist throng and delivering the letter to McCain's staff -- pictures from the event after the jump.