politicalcivility.com Blog

While presenting at a conference not to long ago, the question was posed about what can be done with respect to campaign finance or other reform.  Obviously any reform that comes out of Washington should be looked at with a skeptical eye, because those proposing the reform if they did it right would potentially put their jobs in greater jeopardy.  I don’t think, as saintly as these folks are, would be that altruistic.

So what’s the answer, since this blog is about solutions, not just finding problems.

1. Term limits: I have wrestled with this issue for some time and have gone back and forth regarding term limits.  Bottom line is that I am not sure that this is the best alternative, though it may prove necessary.  If this is ultimately the path we must take it is a sad commentary on us as a voting public that we can’t do enough homework and be well enough informed and active to get rid of politicians who are not doing their job.
2. Spending reform: Any spending reform will help the incumbent.  They have two things their opponent does not have a) a bully pulpit and b) 2-6 years of significant press coverage.  To dislodge an incumbent usually requires the challenger to spend 2:1 over the incumbent, thus any spending “limits” or reform will ultimately give incumbents the edge, which makes you question again the McCain-Fiengold legislation as reform or job security legislation.
3. Divine Right Culture Shift: I think this is the only long-term real answer.  The culture shift I am referring to is that an incumbent has the “divine right” of his/her party’s endorsement.  While helping a friend run for US Senate in Ohio, I ran into this very dilemma.  Mike DeWine was the current senator and in the general public was unpopular, but every Republican dinner we went to it was as if he was already the candidate and that there was no need for a primary.  All the skids were greased; all the endorsements were lined up; all the fundraisers were taken care of by the party.  DeWine had to earn nothing even though he’d dumped on his own party multiple times during his tenure.  If parties, both democrats and republicans, can get away from making it easy for an incumbent to get his/her party’s endorsement; when politicians know that each primary election will be a battle, they will stop taking for granted their party and start sticking to principle.

Accountability in politics, what a novel concept.