Public Financing of Congressional Campaigns Needed: Lee Hamilton '52

November 3, 2009, Greencastle, Ind. — According to veteran statesman and 1952 DePauw University graduate Lee H. Hamilton, "the entire political system is now so swamped with cash -- and lawmakers so overwhelmed by the need to raise it -- that something more is clearly needed." In a newspaper op-ed, the Democrat writes, "Congress, the institution I know best, is in danger of drowning. It needs help. Americans dislike the idea of using taxpayer dollars to fund politicians’ campaigns, but what Congress needs is pretty straightforward: It needs public financing of congressional campaigns."

Hamilton, who served 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, recalls spending $30,000 on his first congressional campaign. "These days, the winners of House seats spend an average of $1.3 million on their campaigns -- and that includes both competitive and noncompetitive races -- on the Senate side, it’s closer to $8 million. Except for certain well-situated politicians, most of the people running for Congress are not raising this money at home."

The bulk of donations come from large givers in major metropolitan areas, Hamilton says, noting that in 2008, "Of all the funds raised by federal candidates, including candidates for president, less than 1 percent of Americans provided 80 percent of the money. The effect of all this is apparent. Far too many Americans are now convinced that they count for very little in the political arena because their voices are drowned out at election time by heavy donors and in the legislative process by well-heeled special interests."

The man who co-chaired the 9/11 Commission and Iraq Study Group points out, "When a banking regulation bill starts moving on Capitol Hill, suddenly donations to key members of the banking committees skyrocket; when a health care bill is on the docket, the flow of money to key committee members is unstinting. These torrents of cash power widespread cynicism about our system."

He adds, "We often criticize Congress for its inefficiency, but its members certainly are efficient at vacuuming up contributions. Yet this fundraising treadmill makes it much more difficult for our elected representatives to do what we hired them to do: study and understand the complicated dilemmas facing our country, debate the policy alternatives, work with one another to forge common ground, and spend time listening to and speaking with their constituents. In other words, it has wrenched the political process completely off track. For both candidate and contributor, the money-hunting process is demeaning."

The time has come to re-examine how campaign funds are collected, according to Hamilton. "In my view, this means moving toward the public funding of congressional campaigns, just as we do for presidential campaigns -- perhaps requiring a mix of public and private funds. When I propose this in public forums, I often feel lucky there aren’t any pitchforks handy, because my irate listeners would certainly use them on me. But as a political scientist I know puts it: We already pay for congressional campaigns, we just label it 'the national debt.' Interests that donate to campaigns often get what they want from legislation, and we all pay for that; by comparison, public financing seems like a bargain. Until we get it, moneyed interests will command the playing field, and our political process -- and our representative democracy -- will be twisted beyond all sense." (left: Hamilton with DePauw student journalists in 2006)

You'll find the complete essay at the Web site of Indiana's New Albany Tribune.

Lee Hamilton's new book, Strengthening Congress, "should be required reading for members of Congress and the people they serve," wrote Matthew Tully in the Indianapolis Star. "A decade after Hamilton's retirement, his book is yet another reminder that he was a gem of a congressman, diplomatic and serious, a smart politician but not mindlessly partisan. If there were more like him, Congress' approval rating likely would be much higher."

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