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Article: Free time, time out. (free TV time for presidential candidates)(On the Record)(Editorial)
- Article from:
- Campaigns & Elections
- Article date:
- June 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Campaigns & Elections, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Giving free TV time to presidential candidates is a good idea. It's a refreshing reformist alternative to campaign finance regulations that hinder direct candidate-to-voter communication through unfair, and often unconstitutional, contribution and spending caps.
The predicament faced by the current free time movement - not unlike that faced by advocates of so many other good ideas - is that the concept has to be over-sold to get attention. And because of that, some have come to see free-time as a panacea, a solution to all that's wrong with American elections. It's not. And that needs to be made clear if we are to appreciate the benefits of the proposal as well as ...