very insightful as with your previous articles -- you really understand what's up and can connect D.C. to the people. I assume many influential people read what you write (maybe even Obama).....so... how about some solutions to Obama's problems you mentioned the public financed election campaigns -- Obama (Congress?) could increase presidential allotment to $190 million enuf for a publicly funded campaign if: Obama gets the FCC (new appointments) to mandate free 10 mins at 6 and 10 PM for 60 days in Sept and Oct (none in Nov) for candidates in 3 or 5 min substantive dialog/ announceements/issues (no 30 sec lies or attack)rotated among all the major candidates and offices. might make a good story-- if Obama and others would buy in, (i.e. publicly funded House and Senate campaigns too)(talk to Rep Rush Holt or?)..
Very kind of you, Joel, and I would love to see the president take on this kind of reform. I suspect he'd say that 1)he's got a lot more urgent business to fight about right now and 2) that he's already contributed a lot to reform simply by collecting so many small donations. I think both points would have some merit. On another topic, and I really don't mean to pick on you, but is this what our correspondence is coming to in the Internet age? No punctuation, no complete sentences, etc? I'll admit to feeling old (and I have no idea how old you are), but I had to read your email like four times before it made any sense to me. I guess I should resign myself now to the inevitability of my own kids writing to me this way when they're older--if they write at all. A new world.
on January 4, 2010
