by Rick Badman

Created on: April 11, 2009

If someone is elected in a district, it means they have the support of those people. He or she should be expected to raise money in that district as a show of confidence in the people who support them directly. If a politician doesn't feel they will receive enough money in a campaign to afford to wage a political battle to retain a seat, then maybe they deserve to lose. Also, a politician running against an elected official shouldn't seek funding from outside the district or state either in order to make it fair.

Let's say liberal politician A is running against conservative elected official B. First off, each candidate will receive money from the committees in their parties that fund campaigns. But let's say candidate A is receiving half as much as candidate B. With liberals so eager to increase the number of liberals in Washington, someone like George Soros and a lot of liberal groups would love to fund them. But that only shows how popular a liberal the person is and may not reflect how popular he is in the district. He could win an election due to the support he receives outside the district or state. That would be like when Bill Clinton received campaign money from China which was illegal. Yet he only had to give it back instead of being charged with a federal crime which he committed.

Politicians that receive funds from outside a district or state may feel obligated to help those people in Washington. That may explain why a politician from New Jersey may help an organization in the state of Washington with a project if he receives money from them. I know money gets things done. But to have it influence a politician to do something his constituents may not want isn't right.

We have had people with deep pockets who have funded politicians for decades. If a liberal knows that he can outspend his opponent by taking out-of-state money, he'll do it and be on the hook to the donors if it means he wins though he may not deserve to win. The conservative may be a better candidate. But with voters being swayed by advertising and the liberal able to show maybe ten times more campaign ads thanks to out-of-state money, he will most likely win. That could be one reason why McCain didn't win the Presidency. Obama outspent him and continues today outspending all other Presidents, only it's with our money.

PAC money is endangering the political process. Someone with hardly any history like Obama can win while better candidates that can't afford to stay in the race drop out. Buying elections should be illegal. So if someone expects campaign money for a Congressional seat, he should raise the money in that district. No one should raise money from outside the borders of the district or state he is representing. It makes it more fair that way.

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