Bro, I like McCain, but I got a beef with him. Tell me his campaign reform bill did not stack the deck for the incumbents. It's all about keeping power (read money). Both sides try to play us so they can keep their power (read money). The change in any election percentage wise from party to party is small. Ask yourself, who is the big winner overall. Incumbents. They all stay in power. Democrates have had the power, as Republicans now have. Each has had the opportunity to make drastic changes. Neither has. When one party has total control what happens? Pork. Deficit increase. Payback. Lining the pockets of the contributers. The only thing that changes is the letter of political designation before their names. Business as usual. Why do you think so many heavy hitters in political contributions contribute to BOTH SIDES. To maintain the status quo. Ask your self why the gas prices are so high. Better yet, ask yourself why the oil companies profits are so high. The entrenched political establishment is beholden to the money. Follow the money. The money trail always yields the answer. These little debates we have here on this site between the two sides is comical. Exactly what the entrenched want. Keeps the unwashed masses from focusing on the real problem. Incumbency. Cronyism. Payback. Kickbacks. Take it to the next level Trajan Octavian Titus. I'll be there.
Ya no one here ever talks about state and local cuz it's soooo freeakkking boring I swear, I took a state/local course last semester and I wanted to tear my freaking ears off by the end of the day.
But people don't seem to realize that state and local is the most important part of government to the average citizen in that it is the level that effects them most directly. NIMBY (not in my back yard politics) what's close to people and what most directly effects them is what will motivate them into taking action. However I got bigger fish to fry I want to be the person with a constituency not part of the constituency.
Your points on pork barrel spending are valid but consider this; how does a politician get elected? By making promises, and generally those promises involve, you guessed it; vast sums of Money, so it's a natural part of the political process that the politician will always try to get the very most he can for his constituency. Of course there are always people who go way over board like that senator from Alaska who was building a multi million dollar bridge that led to an island with like 20 people on it who said they didn't want the bridge anyways and the feds wanted to defer the money to the people in New Orleans following the Katrina disaster so what does this ass hole do he throws a coniption fit in the middle of congress and threatens to resign if they took the money.
Now lets get into the nitty gritty world of special interests now some people argue that the politicians are beholden to these special interests but I feel that it's the special interest groups who give us the common citizen a true ear to the politician. One prime example of this is the AARP who will rally a grass roots campaign of all their members to get on the phone and call there congressmen if someone has the audacity to take away their medicade or social security.
As for Lobbyists I know that some people feel that lobbyists are nothing more than instutionalized bribers but I feel that they serve a very real and necessary purpose that is to make sure that private enterprises interests are represented in the government and without lobbyists the government could get away with writing all sorts of laws that would effect you the small bussiness owner.
All this being said I definately feel that real campaign finance reform is necessary without loopholes.