Ari has got the goods. Only the Rich select your president (and Congress):

The Millionaires’ Primary
Ari Melber

Voters are bracing for the longest and most expensive presidential race in American history. The 2008 campaign will last two years and top $1 billion, and most candidates plan to cover the rising costs by ditching public financing so they can sidestep spending limits. For the first time since Watergate, private donors will likely supplant public funding for the entire election. That means America’s most expensive campaign may also be its least accountable, with a small group of multimillionaires exerting huge influence over which candidates are allowed near the White House. Think Jack Abramoff on steroids.  Read more 

Rules? We don’t need no stinking rules, beside “Democrats” passed them- they must be good! Like this one: if you can’t pay my way for front seat tickets at the Bob Seger concert, I really don’t care what you think. Here, have a “money” quote, it’s the closest you’ll ever come to the real thing:

“I am not going to hide from the fact that we have to raise money,” said Representative Devin Nunes, a California Republican who has invited donors to his political action committee on a wine-tasting tour in June, modeled after the movie “Sideways.” “Only a moron would sell a vote for a $2,000 contribution,” Mr. Nunes said

To me, it seems like there are three choices. 1: Hang them, by their feet, on every lamp post in the 2000X zip code area over a burning fire until you run out of posts or fire 2: Get serious about raising money online until ActBlue and BlogPAC can compete with the “hunting and fishing” lobbyists 3: get serious about the Constitutional amendment it’s going to take to clean up campaign financing. Or just keep on feeling like an “effective sucker.” Wow, maybe I should turn off the computer. I just noticed I had this rope, a nice stack of dried wood, and a lonely lamp post right outside my window.

Kudos to the good folks making this happen, assuming it goes through it’s a nice reminder that sometimes our leaders really can be pressured into doing the right thing. Our work here on the political intertubes is made easier when our government cooperates with the open source concepts of governing, and frankly, if I were a Republican I’d want the Democratic data out there just as much as I’m sure the reverse is true. But I’m also impressed with getting credit, I guess the Hill considers blogs are influential as some established public interest groups. That’s interesting.

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