Small change : money, political parties, and campaign finance reform / Raymond J. La Raja.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

La Raja, Raymond J., 1965-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.

United States.

Campaign funds--United States.

Campaign funds.

Campaign funds--Law and legislation--United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (302 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Reformers lament that, with every effort to regulate the sources of campaign funding, candidates creatively circumvent the new legislation. But in fact, political fundraisers don't need to look for loopholes because, as Raymond J. La Raja proves, legislators intentionally design regulations to gain advantage over their partisan rivals. La Raja traces the history of the U.S. campaign finance system from the late nineteenth century through the passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002. Then, using the 2004 presidential election as a case study, he compares the ways in which Democrats and Republicans adapted their national fund-raising and campaigning strategies to satisfy BCRA regulations. Drawing upon this wealth of historical and recent evidence, he concludes with recommendations for reforming campaign finance in ways that promote fair competition among candidates and guarantee their accountability to voters. Small Change offers an engaging account of campaign finance reforms' contradictory history; it is a must-read for anyone concerned about influence of money on democratic elections.

Contents:

Money and politics

Mugwump reform and the decline of political parties

A history of federal campaign finance laws

Explaining campaign finance reform and the BCRA

Consequences of reform for party fund-raising

Consequences of reform for party campaigning

The aftermath of the BCRA.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 265-278) and index.

ISBN:

1-282-55609-6

9786612556098

0-472-02476-0

OCLC:

615635625