Money and Politics: Financing Our Elections Democratically

Synopsis

Why we need true reform and how it can finally be achieved. "American politics has become an arms race, with money doing the work of missiles. One side escalates and the other follows suit. As the spiral grows it is undermining the soul of democracy. But here's the good news: the majority of Americans want a new system of campaign finance. Every time voters have had a chance to choose a different way, they have spoken loud and clear. Clean money initiatives are proving the citizens' response to the corruption that has turned our elections into auctions. This book is the blueprint to returning democracy to politics." --Bill Moyers As we approach our next presidential election, few issues loom larger than campaign finance reform. While the Senate has agreed to vote on a sweeping bill for reform at the federal level, state voters have passed, or are about to vote on, ballots that limit the amount of private money flooding into campaign war chests. Money and Politics argues that only the full public funding of elections, as enacted with the adoption in Maine of the Clean Elections Act, can solve our campaign financing crisis. Their evaluation of its pros and cons is particularly timely as parts of the Maine option are being considered in competing congressional reform bills. Many of the contributors to this volume have worked closely on campaign finance reform, including Senator Russell Feingold, coauthor of the landmark McCain-Feingold Act. Persuasive, accessible, and controversial, this book makes an important contribution to our debate about the most democratic way to elect the politicians who represent us. NEW DEMOCRACY FORUM is a series of short paperback original books exploring creative solutions to our most urgent national concerns. The series editors (for Boston Review), Joshua Cohen and Joel Rogers, aim to foster politically engaged, intellectually honest, and morally serious debate.

Copyright:

1999

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

97 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780807043158

Publisher:

Beacon Press

Date of Addition:

08/23/09

Copyrighted By:

Joshua Cohen and Joel Rogers

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Business and Finance, Politics and Government

Submitted By:

Deborah Murray

Proofread By:

Soliloquy

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.