Campaign Presentation (Essay Sample)

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Campaign Presentation
For a long time, money has played a major role in American politics. Efforts to regulate campaign financing in the United States date back to 1867 when the first campaign financing regulation was passed. Over the recent past, big money has become the key determinant in winning elections. This paper will look at the current status of campaign financing reform in the country as well as the realistic expectations of the political process in the country. Additionally, the paper will also address the role of soft money in American politics.
Political campaigns in the United States are governed by the Federal Election Campaign Act and it is enforced by the Federal Election Commission which was formed in 1974 (Raja 83). Public financing is available for qualified candidates vying for the presidency during the primaries and the general election. Admissibility requirements must be met for a candidate to qualify for funding by the federal government. Moreover, those that seek federal funding must be ready to be subjected to spending limits. The system is designed in such a way that Republican and Democratic candidates regularly qualify for the funding , while excluding candidates from other small political parties (Raja 23). More than half the states permit some level of political campaign funding by corporates and unions. It is worth noting that there are certain states that have limits on contributions from individuals that are lower than the national limits. Moreover, Missouri, Utah, Virginia, Illinois, Oregon and Mexico and have no limits.
Soft money is a term that is used to refer to contributions made to political parties that are not subject to spending and contribution limits set by the Federal Election Campaign Act. The main reason why soft money is not subjected to FECA provisions is because it is not used to specifically advocate for the election or defeat of particular candidates. During a short period in the 1976 presidential elections, when soft money was outlawed, the results were not good. The congress noted a significant drop off in grass roots campaigns, as presidential candidates used their limited ‘hard money’ financial resources to finance television adverts. State, local and national candidates could not afford traditional slate cards, bumper stickers, yard signs and other grass root campaign activities (Raja 93). This kind of grassroots campaigning is important because it helps link citizens to political parties and the American system of governance. Consequently, Congress acted in 1979 to clarify FECA by explicitly sanctioning soft money contributions and spending, despite the fact that such contributions and spending may affect federal elections. Other than helping in grassroots campaign activities, soft money also helps to fund phone banks, voter registration drives and get-out-the-vote efforts carried out by political parties. Banning the source of money for such undertakings may reduce the number of voters who turnout to vote on the Election Day (Raja 54). The congress should handle the issues of soft money contributions with a lot of soberness because sof...