Everyone, it seems, is talking about the Republican primaries. Cliff Brown is doing something about them, or, at least suggesting some improvements.
Brown, associate professor of political science, suggests that slight changes in campaign finance rules and the campaign calendar will go a long way toward restoring balance to the system that determines presidential candidates.
“In the four presidential races since the current system took effect in 1980, seven of the eight major-party nominees turned out to be the candidates with the most cash on January 1,” he says. “That suggests to me a system that needs to be opened up.”
Brown, who with Lynda Powell and Clyde Wilcox, authored Serious Money: Fundraising and Contributing in Presidential Nomination Campaigns, was featured in a Feb. 18 Boston Sunday
Globe column by David Warsh.
Among the modifications Brown suggests:
— Raise the maximum allowable size of a contribution to $10,000 per individual and $20,000 per family from the current $1,000 limit, which has not been adjusted for inflation since it was set in 1974. Large contributions that would “buy” a candidate would not be allowed, but it would still take more than 4,000 individuals to fund a campaign, keeping individuals or small groups from having disproportionate influence.
— Keep current qualifying rules for federal matching funds, but increase the amount to adjust for inflation. Increased federal matching for all contributions of $250 or less
(for candidates who abide by spending limits) would benefit ideological candidates like Jesse Jackson or Pat Buchanan, who rely heavily of direct mail.
— Double the spending limit per candidate to $60 million and index it so that the system is no longer geared for an early knockout. Unless a contest ends early, candidates may max out and have to choose between breaking campaign laws and ending their effort.
Revise the primary calendar to include regional primaries, which would lengthen the season and encourage candidates to stay in the race longer.
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