>>Let's leave out the left columnists, shall we, and talk about the real world.
>>Practically and pragmaticly, it moves the ball down the field a few yards.
>
>It won't, according to U.S. PIRG:
>
>***** Phantom Fixes: How The Shays-Meehan And McCain-Feingold Bills
>Would Not Have Curtailed Enron's And Arthur Andersen's Campaign
>Spending
>January 30, 2002
And you're a teacher?! The fact is that no one is sure - except you and Carrol - how this legislation is going to affect the political economy of election campaigns. One thing everyone is saying is that state parties will likely get more money now while the 2 national parties will be weakened. Obviously it's very weak legislation - especially with Bush appointing an opponent of campaign finance reform to the oversight commision. But to say it will have no effect or that it's a phantom fix is willed blindedness. And it seems everyone who had been in the fight over the last 7 years acknowledged its a first step in a long campaign. The fact of the matter is that the ball *has* moved a little down the field.
People on this list who would be interested in trying to move the ball a little farther down the field should check out PIRG's page on campaing finance reform: http://pirg.org/democracy/democracy.asp?id2=5900&id3=CFR&
Here's their platform which looks pretty good to me: http://pirg.org/democracy/democracy.asp?id2=5989&id3=CFR&
Peter