Poughkeepsie Journal Editorial Calls for Campaign Finance Reform

Today’s Poughkeepsie Journal includes an editorial in support of reforming the state’s campaign finance laws, saying that they “have been a mess for a long time.” But the newspaper does not completely support what advocates are calling for.

The editorial board agrees with campaign reform advocates in terms of  greater transparency (“shed[ding]  more light on elected officials’ outside business dealings and the use of campaign money for personal purposes”), more disclosure (“public disclosure of contributions of more than $500 within 48 hours”) and more stringent donation limits (“Limits on campaign donations from individuals and political groups in New York are so high they are virtually meaningless.”)

But it does not support the public financing of campaigns:

“It’s true some states have implemented public financing with varying degrees of success. Typically under these arrangements, candidates can receive public funding by agreeing to spending limits and first gathering a set number of small contributions from individuals within their district. But whether taxpayer money should be used to fund campaigns is a whole other story. It would mean less money for other things. And it would mean your hard-earned money could go to help candidates who stand for everything you abhor. There is something fundamentally wrong about that.”

An interesting analysis.