Prop. 89: Giving Elections Back To the People

A major point of contrast between Governor Schwarzenegger and Phil Angelides is on the issues of public financing of elections and campaign finance reform. Proposition 89 is one of the freshest, most important, and most groundbreaking initiatives to come along in the last 25 years, and Phil Angelides, in an act of political courage, supports it. His opponent does not, because it would be a major blow to the special interests that control this state and this country through kickbacks and payouts.

I want you to look at their latest ad:



We have a political culture, deeply institutionalized for decades if not centuries, that disqualifies 99.9% of society from running for public office. You either need to be ingratiating and sleazy enough to rake in millions of dollars or obscenely rich enough to give it to yourself. Elected officials spend upwards of ten hours a day on the phone raising money. Issues, positions, personality and character are all a sidelight to phrases like "Is he competitive financially?" and "How much cash on hand does he have?" In California politics (and, I'd gather, in national politics) (s)he who has the most money wins:



(h/t to the Prop 89 Blog)

Though it seems hopeless, there is a way to break this cycle, to enable the potential for citizen legislators untainted by big money donations, to make any candidate or any ballot initiative in the state competitive, to level the playing field and return government to the people. If you don't believe it can work, take a visit to beautiful Arizona and Maine. Here are some facts from 10 years of clean elections in The Pine Tree State:

Clean Money was an immediate success in Maine. One-third of the state’s legislators took office on December 6, 2000 without ties to special interest money. Challengers, who were only able to spend 54 cents for every dollar spent by an incumbent in 1998, before public financing was available, were able to close that gap dramatically in 2000. Overall, private campaign spending in Maine was cut in half.

Participating candidates gave the system rave reviews. In a survey conducted by the Maine Citizen Leadership Fund, 99% of candidates said they were “reasonably satisfied” or “very satisfied” with it.
Results got even better in 2002, as participation in the Clean Elections system increased across the board:

• The number of candidates running clean nearly doubled over 2000.

• The number of Republican candidates running clean nearly tripled over 2000.

• 55% of Maine’s legislature is made up of members elected clean.

• 77% of Maine’s Senate is made up of members elected clean.

• Voter turnout increased by 5% over 1998.

State government runs better when people who are unbought and unbossed populate the legislature. We all know that in California, the state capital is overrun with lobbyists who use the Assembly and the Senate as their personal money-printing facility, getting hundreds of millions in corporate welfare for their clients and valuing Big Business over the average citizen. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a pledge to get the money out of politics, saying that he had plenty of money and couldn't be bought. He's taken 90 MILLION from special interests since that time.



If this initiative were financed with payroll taxes, it would still result in a net positive in the average Californian's budget, as the ability to provide affordable health care and lower school tuitions and more goods and services as a consequence of eliminating corporate welfare would dramatically increase. But Proposition 89 is actually financed through a %0.2 increase in the corporate tax rate, returning the rate back to where it was in the Wilson and Reagan Administrations. Ultimately a more prosperous California, a California more attractive to potential residents, will be a more rewarding California for businesses to profit in (as was the entire country in the 1990s).

Clean money elections WORK. Anyone who can raise a certain number of $5 contributions from voters to prove their viability can qualify. They then receive full public funding, allowing them to campaign and speak to voters about issues. They get to ask voters what they want, and tell voters what they would do, instead of having to beg voters for what they NEED to stay competitive. It limits spending for candidates who opt out of public financing so that the playing field is leveled.

These are the facts on Proposition 89. Phil Angelides supports it because he understands the iron grip special interests have on Sacramento, and he wants to change that. If you believe that the political system is broken, if you believe that you're constantly voting for the lesser of two evils, you need to say yes to Proposition 89 and strike a powerful note for change in this state and this country.