I stumbled upon this really nifty widget.  It shows graphically (and in print) who is giving what to whom in the Presidential election.  Type in a Zip Code or city name and see who is contributing to a race.

For example, I typed in Sioux Falls and here's a big surprise: Steve Hildebrand has given the legal limit--$2,300--to his consultee, Sen. Barack Obama.

I'll put the miniature version up on the right column later.

Enjoy.



Technorati Tags: campaign finance, election contributions, Barack Obama, Steve Hildebrand, 2008 Presidential election

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Chris Nelson, Don Frankenfeld, Larry Long, Jon Schaff, and Todd Epp*.

Four Republicans, one Democrat.

And we all agree that campaign finance in South Dakota needs to be fixed.

The good Dr. Schaff from SDP weighs in this morning:

• South Dakota and Campaign Finance Campaign finance shenanigans often occur precisely because it is hardto raise money, so people do end runs around the law. The wise policyis to make it easy for candidates or issue advocates to raise the fundsthey desire to run their campaigns and then have total transparency sowe the voters can judge for ourselves whether their sources of fundingdeserve attention, positive or (more likely) negative
  

Maybe it’s time for a change, South Dakota? Maybe Gov. Rounds IS right?! Working together, we can make South Dakota even better!

*Of course there are others, Pat Power, Doug Wiken, Chad Shuldt, that Coat Hanger’s gal, et al, but the line-up above helps me make a more dramatic point.

technorati tags:campaign, finance, south, dakota, schaff, epp

Blogged with Flock

I couldn’t agree more!

From this morning’s Argus Leader:

Money in politics at issue
Jan. 14, 2007
PIERRE - South Dakota voters need to know who is paying for candidates and campaign issues, and they need to know it before elections, said Secretary of State Chris Nelson.Complete and timely information guided his staff and the attorney general’s office when they wrote a bill that repeals existing campaign finance laws and proposes a new set of statutes, he said.”We want to make it clear exactly who needs to report campaign finances and what needs to be reported,” Nelson said. “That needs to be available in a timely fashion.”

technorati tags:campaigns, finance, south, dakota, politics, chris, nelson, larry, long

Blogged with Flock

Our system of campaign finance in South Dakota is so out of whack, that those of us on the Left and Right can actually agree on a solution.

Jon Schaff at South Dakota Politics writes:

Campaign Finance 

     

This story gives a brief outline to Secretary of State Chris Nelson’s suggestions for reform of our state’s campaign finance laws. Raising contribution limits is a good idea, as is real penalties for failure to file on time…

Indeed.  And it’s long past time.  Our current system is corrupt and needs transparency.  There are those of us on both sides of the aisle who understand the current way of doing business is not good for our South Dakota democracy.

Rep. Roger Hunt (R-Brandon). He might not be smiling after he reads South Dakota Politics today.When my good friends at the rightwing South Dakota Politics blog run something like this, you know it’s kind of bad for Rep. Roger Hunt.

Read: Hunt Violated Campaign Finance Laws

To paraphrase “Christmas Vacation’s” Clark Griswold, I couldn’t have been more surprised if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet.  It’s a Christmas miracle!

Pat Powers and I discuss campaign finance reform in light of the 2006 Election in our brand new posting at Left Dakota Right Dakota South Dakota, our new joint blog experiment.  Read: Campaign Finance Reform

I think this is a topic where people on both sides who want transparency can agree on quite a bit.

Remember, Pat and I don't read each other's comments before we publish.

My good friend Pat at S.D. War College posts today on the need for campaign finance reform in South Dakota after all the craziness of this election cycle.  He thinks the legislature might do it (doubtful) or the citizens will have to do it (likely).  Here's the link to his post: I have an idea..... Maybe for later.

Here's my reply in his comments:

Um, you forgot the mention the biggest problem this election--Roger Hunt's little corporation. I'm sure that was an oversight.

Frankly, I do not expect our legislature to do anything meaningful on campaign finance reform. We can wait and see what they do in Pierre. But I think your idea for an initiated measure on campaign finance is a great idea. And it probably does have to be done outside of the party structures.

I even have a name for the group: "Transparent South Dakota."

Another approach would be to form a Common Cause chapter to do this. Nebraska has a very active chapter and they could give us an organizational hand.

Sign me up.

A group of us came close in March to starting a Common Cause chapter in South Dakota.  Then the abortion thing happened.  Maybe it is now time to return to that idea or forming a broad based group to initiate a comprehensive change in campaign finance reporting.

Back in my reporter days in Kansas in the 1980s, I covered the Kansas Legislature and Kansas elections.  Kansas has much tougher reporting laws for both candidates and lobbyists.  When I moved back to South Dakota in 1986 and started covering South Dakota politics, I was shocked at the laxity of our campaign reporting laws.  

Maybe it's time for a change.  Who's with me?