CA-4 2008 Rematch

[Adlai Stevenson]

The Sacramento Bee has an interesting story on the brewing rematch between embattled Congressman John Doolittle (R) and retired US Air Force officer Charlie Brown (D). Doolittle narrowly defeated Brown by a 49% to 46% vote last year in this usually safe GOP district. The closeness of the CD-4 race was due in large part to Doolittle being implicated as a key target in the ongoing Abramoff influence buying scandal on Capitol Hill. The two men never stopped running, but the incumbent is now clearly struggling. Doolittle raised about $128,000 in 1Q-07, and has a cash-on-hand of $91,000 in the bank -- but his campaign is still in debt for $172,000 from the 2006 race. A Doolittle campaign spokesperson told the newspaper the campaign is working to pay down the debt, and made some progress in the first quarter. Brown, by contrast, raised $89,000 in 1Q-07 and has $136,000 cash-on-hand (and a remaining debt of under $13,000 left from 2006). On a related note, the Wall Street Journal reported the Abramoff-related corruption probe remains very active in the Justice Department -- although the current focus is allegedly more aimed at individuals tied to the White House.

http://www.politics1.com/

[Padfoot]

This is a horrible sign of worse things to come if you ask me.  The never ending campaign is becoming a race to stay out debt and raise the most money.  No longer do candidates care about what constituents think.  All they care about is getting money for the next time.  The whole concept of fund raising really bothers me due to the increasing power of lobbyists and special interest groups.  We are quickly moving towards a government in which our representatives feel more obliged to listen to lobbyists rather than their constituents.  I'm not sure what the solution is but something needs to be done to put the people's needs back at the forefront of our representatives' minds.

[MarkWarner08]

This is a horrible sign of worse things to come if you ask me.  The never ending campaign is becoming a race to stay out debt and raise the most money.  No longer do candidates care about what constituents think.  All they care about is getting money for the next time.  The whole concept of fund raising really bothers me due to the increasing power of lobbyists and special interest groups.  We are quickly moving towards a government in which our representatives feel more obliged to listen to lobbyists rather than their constituents.  I'm not sure what the solution is but something needs to be done to put the people's needs back at the forefront of our representatives' minds.

Public financing of elections has worked in state leg races in Maine and Arizona. The Clean Money system elimaintes the conflict of interests between contuisents and powerful special interests.  Imagine a system where citizens, not unions or corporations paid for elections.

I'm sure my conservative friends will say, "but the Supreme Court interpreted the 14th amendment to grant corproations personhood" and they'd likely also bring up Buckley vs. Valeo.  Those decisions are just as wrong an antiquated as the Dred Scott case and the false precedent set in the Griswold vs. Connecticut case.