Obama recently announced that he is not going to use the Publice Funding funding available for Presidential candidates. 

Public Funding was created after Richard Nixon’s campaign when he far outspent his opponent in the election.  At the time, the public opinion was that he had a big advantage, because of donations from wealthy individuals and corporations.  There was genuine concern that it may become impossible for a minority candidate to win a campaign against a candidate supported by a well funded political machine.  The Public Funding money comes from U.S. taxpayers that check the box on the their IRS tax return (Form 1040) that they donate $3 to the Presidential campaigns.  Most Americans check the box and the Public Fund can make avaiable approximately $85 million for each candidate.

The Public Funding program is good, but it has flaws.  One glaring flaw is that all of the candidates do not have to use it.  For example, if Obama and McCain had both agreed to use it.  Independent candidates can still use their own money, and some have quite a bit, to smear the national party candidates and create a nuisance effect for the national candidates in the campaign.  Obama’s decision has highlighted this weakness in the public funding program.

Still, it is dismaying that a candidate that is running a campaign based on reform would decide to use private funding instead of public funding.  Obama’s team has pointed to several reasons why they chose to forego Public Funding, but they have not conceded to the real and underlying reason.

The underlying reason that Obama chose to use private funding is that during the primaries it became clear that he can raise much more money than McCain.  However, this is the reason that the Public Funding program was created and it’s the reason that every candidate since Nixon has used it.  This will be seen as many as a step back.  It will be seen by just as many as doing what is necessary to win the election. 

The issue is clear.  What comes first reform or winning the Presidential election.  Should the Public Funding program be strengthened to eliminate the current weaknesses and require all Presidential candidates to use Public Funding?

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