Hoersting: NY Consideration of New Campaign Finance Rules Not Wise

The Center for Competitive Politics Stephen Hoersting has penned an op-ed for today's New York Post, in which he warns voters and legislators that the so-called "reform proposals" offered by Gov. Eliott Spitzer may not be a wise idea.

IT'S worth noting that the plot by top staffers of Gov. Spitzer to use the State Police for political espionage against state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno was apparently intended to force Bruno into agreeing to Spitzer's proposals to rewrite the New York's campaign-finance laws. Ironically, the plot helps illustrate how Spitzer's "reforms" threaten political freedom.

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With the Spitzer/State Police scandal still unfolding, how can any legislator support giving enhanced electoral oversight to the executive department? Even if the new enforcement agency doesn't fall directly under the governor's office, the power is ripe for abuse.

But even with outright abuse set aside, greater regulation of campaigns empowers political insiders: The more rules and the more complex filing requirements there are, the more you need cash, lawyers, accountants and other experts to engage in politics at all.

But the regulatory web doesn't just hurt political neophytes. The proposed, drastically reduced, contribution limits will cripple challenger campaigns. At the federal level, we have seen successful challenger campaigns drop by 50 percent since contribution limits first became law. Expect similar results in New York.

Hoersting, however, fails to point out that contribution limits already exist in New York and they are a complicated lot, with limits dependent up on the size of the candidates political party and office. But leaving that aside, NY's State Board of Elections is pretty quick in its enforcement actions, so it is unclear why, other than the blatantly political reasons, the state needs more enforcement.

Of course Spitzer will benefit from the change in rules, making challenges to his next election all the more difficult.