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Ed Youngblood of Brewer is a retired banker who served within the Maine Senate. Jim Rubens served within the New Hampshire Senate and is a board member of American Promise.
Election spending in Maine just passed $100 million, largely within the U.S. Senate race and largely from out of state. In a debate, Senate candidates were asked about a constitutional amendment for limits on election spending. Such an modification is supported by three out of four Mainers and organizations across the spectrum, together with the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine-Institute of Legislative Motion.
Whereas different candidates assist the modification, Sen. Susan Collins mentioned an modification may take too lengthy. As conservative Republicans who deeply respect and assist Collins, we consider she could be a historic chief to make this constitutional modification a actuality now.
We perceive Collins’ hesitation on this. She was a frontrunner within the Senate for the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act and criticized the 2010 Supreme Courtroom resolution in Residents United that struck down that legislation. But, till lately Democrats dominated the dialog in Washington about this modification. Now the dialog in Maine and the opposite States could be very completely different. Republicans are getting behind this 28th Amendment, and right here’s why.
Till 2018, Republicans gained election spending battles. Now, the left dominates the suitable by two-to-one in dark money spending. Billionaires reminiscent of Tom Steyer, Michael Bloomberg and large unions goal hundreds of thousands to flip congressional districts and state legislatures. Bloomberg will spend $100 million in Florida alone.
Jim ran within the Republican Senate main in New Hampshire in 2016. Any doubt in regards to the pressing necessity of this constitutional amendment vanished after Tremendous PACS and the campaigns spent over $130 million in that Senate race. Virtually all that cash came from an elite group of donors exterior New Hampshire. Two years later, out-of-state cash price New Hampshire Republicans management over the state Home, Senate and Government Council.
Now it’s Maine’s flip within the big-money wringer. Primarily based on present tendencies, Maine’s U.S. Senate race will exceed the $132 million New Hampshire contest.
Apart from dropping elections, why else do conservatives assist what would be the twenty eighth Modification? Three extra causes.
To defend federalism. Elite teams of individuals from locations reminiscent of California and New York present a lot of the cash. These individuals decide which candidates are “viable” and which points rely. They overwhelm voters with a blizzard of misleading, venomous adverts. Elections get nationalized, pushing apart native individuals and points whereas rich factions from away battle for management.
The tenth Modification ensures respect for the states. But, the big-money system is eclipsing federalism, our chief safety towards one-size-fits-all insurance policies imposed from Washington.
To defend capitalism. American capitalism has bestowed larger mixture wealth and well-being than in all of human historical past. However pay-to-play politics has mutated free-market competitors into crony capitalism. As an alternative of getting higher services and products to clients, companies compete by shopping for political affect or submitting to extortion. Crony capitalism is why now we have the world’s highest drug costs, broad-band useless zones and ethanol subsidies.
To defend fiscal sanity. Huge-money donors don’t care about conservative philosophy. Huge cash is united round extra spending and tax loopholes for favored applications. For each greenback of lobbying and political contributions, corporations receive 760 times that “investment” in tax breaks, mortgage ensures and contracts, paid for by taxpayers. That’s why now we have trillion-dollar deficits and crushing debt on our youngsters and our grandkids.
Collins has a profound alternative. This modification is right about our Structure and nationwide values. It’s right about Maine’s wants. And it’s sensible politics: In Maine 73 percent of voters and 62 percent of voters still undecided on this election assist the modification.
We can’t understand how lengthy an modification will take. However we do know we want it now. And we all know Republican assist and management becoming a member of with all events to navigate the trail of two-thirds of Congress and ratification in three-quarters of the states will make it occur. The earlier we get began, the earlier we are going to put the individuals again within the driver’s seat.
