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Originally Posted by Elphaba
Politico, I know I have to submit to the the realism of politics. It takes vast amounts of private money to get elected. That is why I am an advocate of public financing of candidates.
I realize that this is a whine with no immediate solution, but I am absolutely torqued that the Republican party has been co-opted by extremists. I think that I could live with that if the party had remained fiscally conservative.
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Political expression in the form of protesting, giving speaches, writing letters, etc. is all protected by the first amendment. The relevant question here is whether there is a constitutional right to give money who whatever candidates you see fit to finance. Based on the (growing) longevity of McCain-Feingold, I imagine at least five of our robed kings has decided it is not. For a non-lawyer like me, however, the protectedness of candidate financing is still an open question.
Leaving the freedom issue aside, I have a family member involved in policing the use of clean elections funds in my neck of the woods and he is a big proponent of the funds, so I'm a bit divided on the issue.
Alas, being co-opted by extremists is hardly a trait unique to the Republican Party. The NEA is the first extremist organization that comes to mind as a Democratic equivalent. Perhaps one could add the AFL-CIO, ACLU, and NAACP to the list, as well. My point is that, in a two-party system, building a tent large enough to win elections inevitibly involves concessions to extremist groups, at least during the primaries. After he wins the nomination, McCain can go back to criticizing the christian fundamentalists like he did back in 2000.
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Originally Posted by Poppinjay
I'm not sure that that scenario is still required. The loss of support suffered by both Falwell and Robertson has been stunning. If anything, I would think given Robertson's moonbat uttering in particular, this would be the year that a Republican could win the primaries by rejecting televangelists and embracing the real tenets of judeo-christian values.
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Indeed. I think the recent weakening of the televangelists explains why McCain's concessions to the religious right have been mere tokens: a speech at an extremist university, a hollow endorsement of intelligent design. I've got my eyes peeled for the real danger signs, but I haven't seen anything yet...