Yay, Free $peech! Amurka Ha$ Be$t Democracy U Can Buy!

[Philly]

I do remember the anonymous donation thing. I don't think you'd like how or turns out. Guys like Adelson or the Koch bros would still know which candidates represent their interests and fill their coffers.

As to your hypothetical responses to things I didn't say I have no comment since that line of argument never actually occurred.

[Dylan]

[Indy]

I'm not quoting you on anything just throwing it out there.

I think the TV thing is key: ban the ads. That's where almost all the money goes. And even worse, those ads can be misleading or contain complete lies so not are they money-laundering vehicles, they're libel loopholes.

The other intriguing idea is campaign length. In Australia, for instance, a campaign is FOUR WEEKS. Here the crap has started and we're still more than TWO YEARS away.

But that's sort of a different topic.

[Philly]

[Indy]

Not if you give them free TV time.

[Philly]

You'd still run into problems. It's going to be impossible to do this in a way that is both fair and constitutional.


You know what's funny though is no amount of tv ads have ever changed my decision of who to vote for. It's a shame that campaign cash is so important but it's important because the average voter can't be bothered to take note of anything unless you run ads during prime time for weeks before an election.

[Indy]

[Philly]

So this may come down to getting the government we deserve. We choose to be so disengaged that the only way candidates can get he electorates attention is by spending boatloads on TV ads. Most of the voting electorate probably wouldn't even bother to vote at all of they weren't bombarded with these ads which is why the tv commercials are so important to a campaigns success.

Yeah actually now that I think of it we definitely collectively deserve a plutocracy since we won't even bother to vote unless our corporate overlords pay for fancy graphics on the tv reminding us to.

[Indy]

Well of course that's always an issue, when you look at how disengaged our voters are (only half of those eligible actually vote), the fact that they would respond to negative ads (that raises suspicion in me more than any support) and the recent slew of candidates not just nationally but locally whom you wouldn't hire to rake your lawn but now entrust to run the country.

Of course there's the media accomplices too, who long ago decided that gov't corruption shouldn't be there bread & butter, but rather instead staging left/right cage fights for ratings and gawker value.

I fully understand that the TV ban idea would be trampled immediately by so-called "free speech" advocates.

[Philly]

Government corruption is a favorite of the media. What are you talking about? Thy eat that shit up.