Campaign Finance

Power in America is shifting from George W. Bush’s Sun Belt mafia -- with its roots in post-1950s aerospace, energy and development -- to a new political triad: a handover of control from one oligarchy to another.

This new triad draws its power from three key postindustrial power centers: technology, entertainment and finance. Its geographic orientation is different as well. Rather than having its primary bases in boomtowns like Houston, Dallas, Charlotte or Phoenix, the new elite clusters mostly in the… more

Ten years ago, the United States held its first billion-dollar election -- that was roughly the amount spent by all candidates for Congress and the presidency put together. The same year brought the first large-scale campaign finance scandal since Watergate, best remembered for the almost accurate metaphor of President Bill Clinton selling overnights in the Lincoln Bedroom in exchange for large contributions to the Democratic Party. And both took place at a time when Americans were deeply disconnected from politics;… more

"The billion-dollar election." Get used to that phrase, because you’ll be hearing it a lot over the next year and a half. That’s the total that all candidates for the presidency are expected to spend on their campaigns between now and 2008. It’s a staggering figure that critics will surely cite as evidence that money has thoroughly corrupted politics. Newt Gingrich shocked the bluenoses back in 1996, when he said that there was too little money in politics, not too… more

On the eve of the Congressional elections, a report has surfaced that reinforces the close ties between members of the student-loan industry and Republican leaders.

Now that polls show that Democrats have a good chance of gaining control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate, many lenders fear they will pay for tying their fortunes so closely to the Republican Party.

According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, no company has donated more money this year to… more

One of the most discussed political reforms over the last 30 years has been campaign finance reform. That reform effort blames much of what ails our representative democracy on the pernicious effect of private money in politics. In the 1990s, tales of the Keating Five, Lincoln Bedroom, and Buddhist temples became the stuff of political legend. More recently, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was accused of campaign and money laundering violations and lobbyist Jack Abramoff pled guilty to influence peddling… more

In his new book, 10 Steps to Repair American Democracy, author Steven Hill says that American democracy has been working about as well as the levees around New Orleans. Hill, who is director of the New America Foundation's Political Reform program, establishes that American democracy is rooted in outdated methods and practices, from voting equipment to the way we elect the President and Congress. He outlines ways for overhauling and reinvigorating our political system and presents a comprehensive vision… more

How to keep track of all the scandals afflicting Congress? And what to do about them?

The most-heard diagnosis is that the problem is "money in politics." And the most-heard prescription is "campaign finance reform." But if money isn't the real source of Capitol Hill sickness, then money reform will have no effect.

The most egregious form of "money in politics," bribery, is already illegal. Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.), for example, is doing 8 years… more

Choiceless elections. Suspicious voting equipment. Partisan election officials. Superficial political debate. Unresponsive government. Author Steven Hill says that American democracy has been working about as well as the levees around New Orleans. Yet most Americans don’t know what to do about it. Here, finally, is the plan -- 10 Steps to Repair American Democracy.

In his inspiring blueprint for renewing America, Hill makes a stirring call for national election standards, voting equipment overhaul, nonpartisan election officials, a voting day… more

The Jack Abramoff scandal has focused badly needed attention on the quid pro quo between politicians and donors -- the granting of legislative favors in return for big donations. But evidence suggests that when it comes to money in politics, Abramoff is a distraction from the real issue: the "pyramid of money."

Party leaders such as House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R., Ill.) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), as well as most incumbents from both parties, don't need… more

Steven Hill is a political writer and director of the Political Reform Program at the New America Foundation, which seeks to develop the best opportunities for reform, educate opinion leaders and the public about electoral alternatives, and encourage the formation of a broad-based coalition.