Campaign Finance in Need of Reform

As most American citizens are looking forward to spring for the warm weather, I’m becoming excited for the 2012 Presidential Election which is getting closer and closer. (I know, I’m part of the small minority of college students who is a political junkie) But nonetheless, this is an exciting time in our country! On the forefront of campaigns is the ever-important topic of campaign finance.

The money raised for the month of February came out recently, and go as follows: President Barack Obama raised $45 million, Mitt Romney $11.5 million, Rick Santorum $9 million, and Ron Paul $3.3 million. Accumulated, that is a lot of money! President Obama clearly has the advantage over his Republican adversaries, but donations for both the Republican and Democratic nominee are likely to pick up when the Republicans decide on their candidate.

However, Obama’s campaign manager, Jim Messina, is actually worried about the pace of donations. You see, when compared to the amount raised in February of 2008 against his opponent Hillary Clinton, the previous months funds are $11 million less than four years ago! So what does this reflect?

For one, the invention of the Super PACs has influenced this election already. This is the first year that Super PACs have participated in an election, and they have given way for unlimited corporate donations because you see, they are a private group so there is no limit on how much they can raise. Now, with this money, they are not “supposed” to coordinate with their candidate, but lets be serious here, you have to think that these groups are having some contact with their candidate to see what they need assistance with—literature, commercials, websites, dinner functions, events, etc—even though it is “illegal”.  So, could it be that donors are not donating to candidates but rather to these Super PACs? We will be sure to find out their impact after this election is said and done.

On what Obama ran on last election, I think it would be in Obama’s interest to denounce the use of Super PACs in campaign financing. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Republican candidates are using Super PACs as well, but President Obama has always said that he is a candidate for the working class. I feel that these new interest groups are just comprised of wealthy elitists who are donating a large amount of money that the otherwise, middle-class worker would not be able to afford. Is it right that the wealthy have more influence on our politicians because they have more money? No. America is a democracy, and I think more should be done to regulate and even eradicate the use of Super PACs. Campaign finance is getting out of control, and it is time a politician stepped up for the middle-class and the future of presidential elections. After all, the importance of the leader is their ideas and stances, not how much money they have.