WP, E.J. Dionne: "Arise, Small Donors!"

Arise, Small Donors!
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007; Page A19

With the Supreme Court slowly closing the door on traditional approaches to campaign finance reform, individual citizens will have to take the cause into their own hands.

The good news is that hundreds of thousands of Americans are doing exactly that. The small-donor uprising, which began in the 2004 campaign, could fundamentally alter the direction of American politics without any changes in the law. But if Congress took some modest steps, it could ensure this revolution's success and do so in a way that even judicial conservatives could accept.

The court's recent 5 to 4 decision eviscerating Congress's efforts to regulate the flow of corporate and union cash into campaign activities will require reformers to think anew.

The recent fundraising reports from the presidential candidates should give them hope in this endeavor. An unprecedented number of small contributors are standing up to the big guys....

***

Congress already needs to update the public financing system for presidential campaigns. A big part of that fix should be to offer large matches of public funds -- perhaps $5 for every dollar raised privately -- but only for contributions of $100 or less. The aim should be to give candidates strong new incentives to raise small money rather than big money. Congress should give tax credits of up to $100 for political contributions and consider vouchers of, say, $25 that every registered voter could direct toward the campaign of his or her choice.

Reformers need to be creative on the supply side of political money. There still are not enough small donors to counter the influence of the big ones. But that day could come -- and it should....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/16/AR2007071601307.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Is Lindsey Graham up for re-election in 08? If so, who is running against him?