Sitting in the corner of a busy St. Louis Bread Company, James Trout recently talked to Pub Def about his lawsuit that has resulted in Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan temporarily blocking the new ban on fundraising during the legislative session.
A hearing will be held on Friday, March 2, to determine whether to make the ban permanent and to throw out the rest of the campaign finance law, including the elimination of contribution limits.
January 15th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
I’d like to thank Mr. Trout for standing up and fighting for what is right.
January 15th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
The chief senate sponsor of the challenged bill was actually a Democrat. Because of the recent (and continuing) party realignment, many of the “wealthy influentials” to whom Trout refers (those in urban and suburban areas) have recently become Democrats (or at least contributors to Democrat candidates and causes). Democrats will lose their enthusiasm for donor limits as they begin to benefit from their largesse. Most Democrats no longer support the real solution, publicly funded elections.
As Democrat officeholders become increasingly beholden to the “wealthy influentials,” their willingness to be champions for the poor will evaporate. Each election there will be fewer and fewer viable candidates who are willing to represent the poor against the monied interests.