Submitted by John Stauber on
The New York Times editorializes today in favor of a little known reform that might have a revitalizing affect on the US political process. Candidates can now draw a salary running their own campaign for Congress. "The victory of a Democratic lawyer, Stephanie Herseth, in the race last week for an open House seat in South Dakota had some intriguing implications. Ms. Herseth is the first successful Congressional candidate of either party to take advantage of a change in the campaign finance rules that allows federal candidates to pay themselves salaries from their campaign treasuries. ... It remains to be seen, of course, how the commission's new salary rule will play out in other states. But the dearth of competitive contests for the House, in a Congress that increasingly resembles an exclusive millionaires' club, has us rooting for this experiment in leveling the playing field."
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