Wednesday, October 23, 1996
REFORM:
Voters must put a stop to corruption with campaign reformBy
Joseph Hahn
The Daily Californian
Courtesy of University Wire
Last week, allegations of improper campaign contributions from
foreign sources swirled around the Clinton campaign. Bob Dole, in a
desperate last-minute attempt to find an issue that resonates with
the electorate, latched onto a report in the Los Angeles Times
detailing potentially questionable contributions to the Democratic
Party from Indonesian corporations.
If true, the allegations are merely further evidence of a
corrupt political process corroded from the inside out with special
interest money.
For many years, Bob Dole has been flown around the country at no
charge in the corporate jets of Archer Daniels Midland, the world’s
largest corporate food processor. ADM has made massive multimillion
dollar contributions to the Republican Party. Last week, in one of
the biggest scandals in American corporate history, the corporation
agreed to plead guilty to charges of price fixing. ADM’s corporate
greed cost American consumers billions of dollars. And Bob Dole is
in their pocket.
Even though there is some limitation on what individuals and
PACs can contribute to particular candidates in national elections,
there are no limits on contributions to the political parties. This
so-called "soft money" has become the lifeblood of the Republican
and Democratic Parties, funding their attack ads and other partisan
activities.
Tobacco companies gave the Republican Party more than $5 million
last year. Hollywood gave the Democratic Party roughly the same.
"Soft money" is raised at swanky $50,000-a-plate dinners where the
presidential candidates are featured squeezing a lot of flesh.
And what do these wealthy people expect for their massive
contributions? Access and influence.
For their substantial support over the years, Newt Gingrich and
Bob Dole rewarded corporate polluters with much more than just
access and influence, allowing them to rewrite the environmental
protection regulations.
President Clinton vetoed a litigation reform bill on the advice
of the trial lawyers’ lobby, which has supported him and the
Democratic Party to the tune of millions over the years.
The fact is that both parties are dependent on special interest
money and both parties have been corrupted by it. We see the
effects of big-moneyed special interests any time legislation comes
out of Congress loaded with pork or tax loopholes designed to
benefit a special few.
The special interests are not unique to Washington, D.C. They
run Sacramento by the same methods of cash access and checkbook
influence.
California voters have the opportunity to vote on two separate
ballot initiatives, Propositions 208 and 212, which would create
limits on campaign contributions, impose campaign spending limits
and restrict the activities of lobbyists. These initiatives apply
only to state elections, rather than national elections, but they
are a start.
Proposition 208 limits individual and group contributions to a
particular candidate to $250 for legislative and local elective
offices and $500 for statewide offices such as attorney general and
governor. These limits double if the candidate agrees to abide by
voluntary campaign spending limits. The proposition also limits the
total amount that an individual or group can contribute to all
candidates to $25,000 in any two-year period. Under Proposition
208, lobbyists would be prohibited from making and arranging
contributions to those they influence.
Proposition 212 contains many of the same provisions as
Proposition 208, but has lower contribution limits. However,
Proposition 212 also contains mandatory campaign spending limits,
which have previously been ruled unconstitutional by the U.S.
Supreme Court as violating the First Amendment guarantee of free
speech. And most disturbingly, Proposition 212 repeals current
state laws that restrict the amount of gifts, honoraria and travel
that public officials can accept. While limiting campaign
contributions, Proposition 212 would preserve special interest
access and influence by allowing unlimited cash payments, personal
gifts and travel to elected officials.
This doesn’t sound like the kind of meaningful campaign finance
reform that we really need to take special interest corruption out
of politics. Congress and the California Legislature have
repeatedly shown that they are unable to face up to this problem on
their own. The time has come for the citizens of California to
stand up and reform the system for them.
Junkies are never willing to quit while they have an unlimited
supply of drugs, and neither are politicians.
Joseph Hahn is a third-year law student at Boalt Hall. You can
reach him at opinion@dailycal.org