Closer
Last week, Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D-NY) and lawmakers in both Houses came up with a compromise on campaign finance reform legislation. Hopefully this is just the beginning of reform in Albany. In January, in his State of the State address, Gov. Spitzer said restrictions and more transparency wasn't enough. “But reform will not be complete if we simply address the supply of contributions. We must also address the demand. Full public financing must be the ultimate goal of our reform effort. By cutting off the demand for private money, we will cut off the special-interest influence that comes with it." Clean Elections, or full public financing, is the real answer for ending the pay-to-play political process in Albany. While limiting contributions is a start, it shouldn't be the end.