{"id":2193,"date":"2007-09-05T13:20:00","date_gmt":"2007-09-05T19:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/09\/arguments-against-campaign-contribution-limits\/"},"modified":"2007-09-05T13:20:00","modified_gmt":"2007-09-05T19:20:00","slug":"arguments-against-campaign-contribution-limits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/09\/arguments-against-campaign-contribution-limits\/","title":{"rendered":"Arguments against campaign contribution limits"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Whitney Cheshire<\/span> <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

So you think capping individual campaign contributions is the answer to our public corruption woes in New Mexico<\/st1:state><\/st1:place>? Let\u2019s talk about labor on this Labor Day week\u2026<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

After campaigning for conservative candidates in a Democrat-dominated state for years, I can\u2019t help but slouch in my chair and mutter something that sounds a bit like \u201cuhhhhg\u201d when I think of that nearly-perfected political machine known as \u201clabor.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

As a Republican, it\u2019s disheartening \u2013 to say the least \u2013 to sit back and watch the labor lobby fork over an excessively obscene amount of money for political candidates every cycle that, 99 times out of 100, goes into the pockets of Democrats. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees<\/a> in particular has been incredibly active in New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> politics, contributing close to $1.5 million to Gov. Bill Richardson\u2019s<\/a> campaigns and political committees since 2002.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the problem: AFSCME, like most labor unions, contributes money to candidates that it raises through member dues. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

In essence, unions like AFSCME serve as large third-party political committees, where money is raised in one hand, and dolled out in the other. They make direct contributions to candidates and political action committees. They lobby elected officials both publicly and privately, and they have active and effective volunteer capabilities \u2013 boots on the ground \u2013 that mobilize at a moment\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Money is raised nationally and spent locally.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

In a lot of ways, unions take on the same functions as the Democratic and Republican Parties. They advocate for policy changes for just about anything that affects \u201cworkers,\u201d<\/a> pretty much everything from minimum wage increases and government-run health care to immigrant amnesty<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

But why am I writing about things that you already know?<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Back to those contribution caps\u2026<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t believe how often labor unions get forgotten when people say, \u201cBoy howdy, the best way to get big money out of New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> politics is to put caps on individual contributions.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Yeah, OK. Right.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cCaps\u201d will lower the amount of money that you and I can give to our favored candidates, but it will exponentially empower those third-party groups that receive truckloads of money either through membership dues or wealthy, multi-million dollar benefactors like George Soros. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

And as was proven by AFSCME in the 2004 presidential election cycle, money finds a way into campaigns. That year, it found its way into Richardson<\/st1:city>\u2019s operation through his political action committee Moving America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> Forward.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Caps lead to money being spent elsewhere<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Last year, the state Senate approved a bill that would limit contributions to individuals and third-party groups, but the House amended it to only place limits on contributions to individuals, and the bill died at the end of the session.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The bill will come up again next year. If the New Mexico Legislature imposes caps on candidates and doesn\u2019t impose caps on PACs, it will only embolden groups like The Sierra Club, The National Resources Defense Council, labor unions and the Swiftboat Veterans, among others.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The result of limits to individuals but not third-party groups will be some feel-good, bury-your-head-like-an-ostrich, so-called ethics reform law that will produce prettier campaign finance reports for our candidates while the real money lands elsewhere. And it will land in a manner that is much more difficult to track.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Personally, I like knowing that Richardson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> has accepted an unfathomable amount of money from labor interests. It makes his policy decisions on drivers\u2019 licenses and college tuition benefits for illegal immigrants much easier to understand.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

And here\u2019s another problem. If the legislature approves contribution limits, we\u2019ll have an ugly fight over in-kind contributions.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Right now, since candidates can accept unlimited amounts of money, they can also accept unlimited amounts of help from third parties like Richardson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>\u2019s union-backed Moving America Forward or the Republican Party.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that Do\u00f1a Ana County Democrats were successful in state House races in 2006 because they were heavily in-kinded by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and received substantial union volunteer help as well.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult, if not impossible, to assign a monetary value to many campaign activities. But if the Legislature imposes monetary restrictions on contributions, we\u2019ll have to try. What a mess that would be. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

I\u2019m so tired of hearing that New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> should follow the federal model of campaign contribution limits. All that it\u2019s done on a national level is drive the money underground and into the hands of political front groups.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

And, without a doubt, Democratic candidates are benefiting from the lopsided \u201ccaps\u201d system.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Better options<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

What are our options?<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

If you talk to some Republicans at the Roundhouse, you\u2019ll get a variety of suggestions. Many will end up as legislative proposals in 2008.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Here are the ones I like:<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Sunlight: Require more frequent reporting and more detail on donors and improve the searchable functions of the Secretary of State\u2019s reporting Web site.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Enforcement: There are plenty of laws on the books. Let\u2019s use them for a change. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Amending reports after the fact: This seems minor, but there\u2019s nothing worse than someone getting caught cheating and then \u2013 oops \u2013 going back and changing it.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u2022 Fully fund the secretary of state: Give the office the money it needs to investigate violations.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Capping individual contributions is just bad policy. It\u2019s bad on the federal level, and it\u2019s bad on the state level. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

We may not like seeing $100,000 contributions to candidates but, honestly, we should be glad just to see it.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

So to our instate labor unions, high-dollar donors and third-party special interest groups on this Labor Day week, I say, \u201ccarry on.\u201d Because, like it or not, agree with you or not, you\u2019re going to do it anyway \u2013 contribution caps or not.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Cheshire<\/st1:city>, AKA the Wednesday Morning Quarterback, is a media relations and campaign consultant in Albuquerque<\/st1:city><\/st1:place>. Her column runs every Wednesday. You can learn more about her by clicking here<\/a>. Contact her at wednesdaymorningqb@comcast.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Whitney Cheshire So you think capping individual campaign contributions is the answer to our public corruption woes in New Mexico? Let\u2019s talk about labor on this Labor Day week\u2026 After campaigning for conservative candidates in a Democrat-dominated state for years, I can\u2019t help but slouch in my chair and mutter something that sounds a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cheshire-columns"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2193\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}