Senator Ted Kaufman, Exit Interview, "The System is So Awful.."

[Stuart G]

Huffington Post.
Ryan Grim... First Posted at Huffington Post, 09-29-10 01:08 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/29/ted-kaufman-exit-intervie_n_743576.html



"Appointed as a two-year caretaker to keep Joe Biden's seat warm for his son Beau Biden, Delaware's Ted Kaufman turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the 111th Senate. His rousing speeches on the floor of the upper chamber rattled Wall Street and rallied opposition to banks that are protected as too big to fail.

His signature amendment to break up the banks, introduced with Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown, was opposed by the White House and ultimately defeated, but the debate raised the profile of the issue and helped lead to reforms that forced banks to spin off some of their proprietary trading desks.

The effort, which Kaufman said would have succeeded with White House support, built him a strong following and led to pleas that he run for reelection; were he pitted today against Tea Party backed Christine O'Donnell, he'd no doubt be polling far ahead of her. (Beau decided not to run.)

But, Kaufman said in an interview with the Huffington Post, there's a paradox at work: If he'd been running for reelection, he wouldn't have those rabid backers, because he never would have waged his campaign against the banks - not because he would have worried it would hurt him politically, but simply because he would have had to spend more than half his time raising money and organizing his campaign.

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How do honest, decent people beat this ugly excuse for a political system, I don't know. With all this money from the super rich people and corporations coming in, it will become harder to do so. I hope that youth doesn't give up. Sometimes I think I have.

[some guy]

1. crappy post

why do you have such a long line between what the article is, and your comments?

I don't want to scroll sideways and up-n-down to read something.

So I didn't read what you posted.

[aquamarina]

3. Seriously - you're complaining about having to scroll a little to the left.

[some guy]

7. Actually, no.

I asked a question and made comments.

It would be scrolling to the right, then left, them right again, if I were to do so, not "a little to the left"

But none of it was addressed to you, so what do you care?

[hlthe2b]

2. Maybe we limit Senatorial candidates to one term?

I know it sounds ridiculous and chaotic, given there would be proportionately so much turn-over every two years, but if we can't reform the campaign finance system, what else can we do?

[supernova]

4. Free air time and public financing

of elections.

Most campaign money is spent on mass media commercials. If we go back to giving candidates air time in their respective markets, then they will have a hugh financial burden lifted. Even traveling and making public appearances is cheaper compared to media air time. Of course, you would have to put some rules in place and perhaps they could only take up so much air time, but I don't see why that can't be worked out.

Also, they would have to be satisfied with only the public money available.

Our election "seasons" are getting longer and longer. They shouldn't be.

[elleng]

5. Correct, PUBLIC FINANCING critical.

[supernova]

6. You would also go a long way

toward chopping politicians down to the level of NORMAL PEOPLE. Media attention tends to create demigods (Sarah Palin). If we limit air time, you would have a lot less of the genre politician/celebrity.

[Blue_Tires]

10. +1000

[Stuart G]

8. About that line.about moving from side to side... On my screen,

I don't see what you see. Perhaps our screens are not the same.
So, that takes away from the content? Isn't the content more
important than the form? So, in answering this, does my
form in this post mean that this comment heris more important
than that of the
of the original post? I don't think so, but if you do,
that is ok with me.

[northernlights]

9. this is the line that bothers me most...

"The effort, which Kaufman said would have succeeded with White House support..."

Doesn't leave much room for doubt about white house priorities and/or loyalties anymore. :(

ps. my screen has the same issue - the op is too wide for it. but unlike mr grumpy gus above, I think the topic is too important to let a minor inconvenience stop me from reading it. It's not like it's pages and pages, just a few lines for cryin out loud :shrug: