Howard the Buck

Howard Dean had previously sworn to go after any Democrat who chose to opt out of the public campaign financing system.\nThe funny thing is if Dean really did choose to go after the first Democrat to opt out of the system, he'd hold a press conference during which he'd chase his own tail.\nI'm no fan of Howard Dean. But I certainly can't blame him for announcing last Saturday that he would forgo public financing and try to raise as much money as he can in his race for the presidency.\nThe public financing system is a post-Watergate reform which provides monetary incentives for candidates who agree not to spend more than $45 million during the primaries. Those candidates then would be eligible for federal funds totaling nearly $20 million.\nThe system is financed by taxpayers who check a box on their tax returns to direct $3 to the program. Checking the box doesn't increase your tax bill, yet only about one in 11 taxpayers check it, indicating Americans either don't understand the program or really, really hate politicians.\nDean warned Democrats he'd be on the offensive if any of them abandoned public financing back when most people thought Sen. John Kerry would be the clear front-runner (including me -- I wrote a column months ago noting I was impressed by Kerry's prospects. His campaign has since stagnated and gradually eroded, with no one to blame but Kerry himself. I regret my error in judgment).\nBut things changed. It was Dean who caught on and turned into a fund-raising monster. So for Dean, anything is fair game.\nAccording to The Associated Press, Dean set the record for most money raised in a three-month period by any Democrat, raising $14.8 million in three months, half of which came from Internet contributions. That's about $16,400 a day, with an average donation of $74.\nBesides being a savvy fund-raiser, President Bush also factored into Dean's rationale. Bush rejected public funds back in 2000 and raised $100 million. He will handily reject them again for 2004, and is expected to collect between $170 and $200 million just for the primaries, leaving any opponent restricted by public financing at a 4-to-1 disadvantage.\nDean and Bush are proving that if you want to win, you have to accept the imperative three M's politics: Money, Money and more Money.\nMoney is undeniably the fuel for political campaigns. Congress has tried to limit the influence of big-money in politics, but opponents contend it's a free speech issue, and even with restrictions, money is funneled elsewhere. \n The layout of campaigns in this country is also a problem, and runs counter to the incentive the public financing system is supposed to give. \n The primary season technically lasts until the nominating conventions. With front-loaded primaries choosing a nominee by March and late conventions running into the end of summer, there are months in between that a candidate restricted by public funds spending caps would be victim to an onslaught of the opposition campaign's endless cash flow.\nFor all the money Dean gains, he also loses some credibility. Ironically, this grassroots candidate will be the first Democrat since the public financing system's creation to opt out. \nDean is acting on his best interests if he's sure he'll be the nominee and have to level the playing field with Bush. But he's doing all of this at the risk of looking like another big-money politician, which as far as I can tell is the exact opposite of what Dean's campaign started out to be.