Political Campaigns

A fellow who needed money for an operation walked into the American Political Items Collectors (APIC) convention in Anaheim, Calif., last August with a couple of old campaign buttons to see what he could get for them. The convention was called to order over the public address system and, in keeping with an APIC tradition, the buttons were auctioned, right then and there. One was an extremely rare button picturing John W. Davis and his running mate, Charles Bryan, the 1924 Democratic candidates.

The recent article about U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski's campaign fundraising ("Mikulski campaign funds hit bonanza," April 22) by John Fritze is disturbing to say the least because it seems to convey the following concepts. First, the more money a politician raises the more respect he or she should be given by the media and by his or her constituents, and second, the more seniority a politician accumulates, the more respect he or she should be given by the media and by his or her constituents.

MOMENTUM IS building for ''campaign- finance reform.'' Hold on to your wallets, taxpayers!The last time Congress ''reformed'' campaign finance, it trebled the amount of money that is taken out of the Treasury (your money) and given to presidential candidates. That was in 1992.The law allowing taxpayers to designate Treasury funds for candidates went into effect in 1972. A taxpayer could check off on his 1040 form a $1 contribution to the fund. This wasn't that taxpayer's $1. It was everybody's.

There was a time when a president and the opposition party in Congress could agree on certain basics, such as the right of the chief executive to select members of his cabinet with no fuss or bother. The president's most important choice in this regard was of his secretary of state, the first among supposed equals in the cabinet and once at the top of the ladder in terms of presidential succession after the vice president. That pecking order was changed by statute to elevate the speaker of the House and then the Senate president pro tem on the list, on the premise that anyone ascending to the presidency under the Constitution ought to have first been an elected official.

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. saw its profit grow 33 percent in the third quarter as political campaigns and automakers ramped up spending on advertising, the Hunt Valley-based company said Thursday. The broadcaster earned $26.2 million in the three months that ended Sept. 30, or 32 cents per share, compared with $19.2 million during the same months last year, or 24 cents per share. Boosted by political and automotive advertising, sales from continuing operations jumped 49 percent to $226.4 million, from $151.9 million in the third quarter of 2011.

As the general election season begins to swing into full gear, what passes these days for political debate and analysis is hardly inspiring. We can expect to spend the early fall constantly bombarded with platitudinous sound bites and spin intended to invoke some visceral reaction in a target group. It is mostly attention-grabbing drivel that does very little to promote a meaningful discussion about policies and governance. Much of it is now carried on in self-published blogs and social networking sites, where it has both unlimited access to the public forum and freedom from the scrutiny that used to be the function of a truly independent press.

For a political candidate, Rick Kunkel has a high degree of self-awareness. You can tell by the way he prefaces his pronouncements about the issues of the day. "I don't want to sound kooky or radical, but ... " he says to introduce his support for universal health insurance. "I don't want to sound strident, but ... " he says as a wind-up to his denunciation of how big, special-interest money finds its way into political campaigns - although not into his. Even about his candidacy, Kunkel finds the need for a qualifying prologue.

An article Monday overstated the federal campaign contributions made by Hilary Rosen, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America. She has donated more than $114,000 to political campaigns and organizations since 1987, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 9/11/97

WASHINGTON: Struggling newspapers should be allowed to operate as nonprofits similar to public broadcasting stations, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin proposed Tuesday. He introduced a bill that would allow newspapers to choose tax-exempt status. They would no longer be able to make political endorsements, but could report on all issues, including political campaigns. Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax-exempt, and contributions to support coverage could be tax-deductible. The Maryland Democrat said the bill is aimed at preserving local newspapers, not large newspaper conglomerates.

As time goes on it will become increasingly apparent to the youthful demonstrators in the Occupy Baltimore movement that we are governed by a plutocracy. The financial interest bloc successfully controls government through corrupting contributions to political campaigns. Nowhere is this more evident than in our disastrous foreign policy. Alas, we should address this most pressing concern if are to move forward as the once great nation we all hold so dear. Anton Dahbura, Baltimore

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. saw its profit grow 33 percent in the third quarter as political campaigns and automakers ramped up spending on advertising, the Hunt Valley-based company said Thursday. The broadcaster earned $26.2 million in the three months that ended Sept. 30, or 32 cents per share, compared with $19.2 million during the same months last year, or 24 cents per share. Boosted by political and automotive advertising, sales from continuing operations jumped 49 percent to $226.4 million, from $151.9 million in the third quarter of 2011.

Once again, I have to agree with Susan Reimer - presidential debates are truly painful to watch ("No debate," Oct. 18). I watched the first 15 minutes of the first debate, 3-4 minutes of the vice presidential debates but chose not to watch the most recent debate. So-called reality TV is pretty pathetic, and the debates certainly come pretty close to being simply another reality TV program. I would however, extend my criticism to the whole campaign process, which seems to be endless.

Sen. Brian Frosh's comment that the $40 million raised so far by gambling interests in Maryland for the casino referendum constitutes "wretched excess" is incredibly naive ("Record $40 million raised for and against gambling referendum," Oct. 13). The amount of spending merely underlines that funding for all political campaigns will continue to escalate commensurate with the expansion and intrusion of the government at the federal and state level, as will corruption and crony capitalism, I might add. It is the natural state of affairs, and it is a bipartisan phenomenon.

With so many tens of millions of dollars flowing into political campaigns anonymously this year, it's hard to believe anyone would oppose some minimum level of disclosure. After all, it was Justice Anthony Kennedy who wrote in the infamous Citizens United ruling that "transparency" would ensure that voters could make "informed decisions and give proper weight to different speakers and messages. " But those who might have assumed that even the most self-interested politician would be able to detect the threat to democracy posed by unlimited and undisclosed giving to political campaigns have probably never seen theU.S.

Chief Justice John Roberts, in partnering with the Supreme Court's four liberal judges to preserve the bulk of President Obama's health care act, not only handed Mr. Obama a victory. He also rescued himself and the court from a shroud of partisanship built up from earlier decisions. Mr. Roberts' surprise role in salvaging the controversial individual mandate financing scheme, and particularly his legal justification for so voting, demonstrated a thoughtful and ideology-free leadership the court needed.

Baltimore Circuit Judge Emanuel Brown said he wanted to send a message with his sentence of political consultant Julius Henson in the case of the infamous "relax" robocall. He certainly succeeded. It's not often that someone involved in a Maryland political corruption trial is led out of a courtroom in handcuffs, and a 60-day jail sentence is bound to make future political campaigns and consultants think twice before crossing the line. Despite his protestations that the case against him was political payback for his work for a Republican — former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — what Mr. Henson did was clearly wrong.

WESTMINSTER - James Nathanson, deputy political director of the Republican National Committee, will speak before a political science class at Western Maryland College from 1:40 to 2:40 p.m. Wednesday in Room 308 of Memorial Hall.The talk is free and open to the public.Nathanson, who served as executive director of the 1988 Bush-Quayle presidential campaign in Ohio before assuming the deputy political director position last year, will discuss the role of the RNC in political campaigns. The class he will lecture, "Political Participation," is taught by Herb Smith, professor of political science at Western Maryland.

How should political campaigns be financed? With public funds or a special tax? Should supporters be limited in what they can contribute? The current system doesn't seem to be working. What changes would you favor? We are looking for 300 words or less; the deadline is July 24. Letters become the property of The Sun, which reserves the right to edit them. By submitting a letter, the author grants The Sun an irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to use and republish the letter, in whole or in part, in all media and to authorize others to reprint it. Letters should include your name and address, along with a day and evening telephone number.

Political consultant Julius Henson returned to the witness stand Monday and placed blame for a controversial Election Day 2010 robocall on a top campaign aide to former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. Henson told jurors in Baltimore Circuit Court that he was eating with his granddaughter at a Baltimore McDonald's at 4:42 p.m. Election Day when Ehrlich campaign manager Paul Schurick called him and authorized Henson to arrange the call — which prosecutors...

Democrat John Delaney's campaign for Maryland's 6th Congressional District has brought a new manager on board a little more than a month out from the April 3 primary, the campaign confirmed in a statement Tuesday. Justin Schall, who has previously run campaigns in Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York, will replace Max Cummings. Delaney, a Potomac banker, is running in a feisty nomination contest against State Sen. Rob Garagiola and three other Democrats. “Our campaign has grown significantly and rapidly across the Sixth District," campaign spokesman Will McDonald said in a statement.