HuffPo: Martin O'Malley Proposes Overhaul Of Campaign Finance System

[portlander23]

HuffPo: Martin O'Malley Proposes Overhaul Of Campaign Finance System

As the two leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination released their eye-popping fundraising totals for the last three months, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley worked instead on Thursday to illustrate how broken the campaign finance system is by releasing a plan to reform it.

O'Malley's plan includes passing a constitutional amendment overturning the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision that opened the door to unlimited spending by corporations and unions in elections. It would also overhaul the gridlocked and largely ineffectual Federal Election Commission, crack down on coordination between candidates and their super PACs and fight for greater disclosure of political donations.

"This week marks the end of another campaign fundraising quarter," O'Malley said in a statement. "I’m not naïve: Campaign resources are important. But the staggering figures required to run for the highest office in the land aren’t as much a sign of muscle as they are an indication of just how broken our democracy is."

The plan would also direct the overlapping agencies that regulate elections to require publicly traded companies to disclose political spending to their shareholders, promote the passage of the DISCLOSE Act and establish publicly financed congressional elections.

[Andy823]

1. Right on the money.

This is a major issue, and I am glad he has come out with his plan to fix it.