The solution's pretty simple, really:
- Provide every candidate with the exact same amount of money in public funding. They can't spend any other money (including their own).
- Force major TV networks to provide the same amount of airtime to every candidate, for free. Ban any other political advertising on TV.
- Ban any "independent" activity in campaigning. Any message in support of a candidate/party must be authorized by said candidate/party and is counted in their airtime/money count.
Of course, this will never happen in the US.
That's basically what I'm saying, but we can't force what the media does in our country. Also, ads are very expensive so if they agree to run an ad for a candidate, they can't do it without being paid for it. I'd like to ban "independent" ads, but I think the Supreme Court would overturn it. I like how the candidates have to address the ads themselves at the beginning and end of commercials. You'd like to see candidates not be allowed to opt out of public financing? I agree.
This would require a couple constitutional Amendments, indeed.
As for the cost of airing ads, I highly doubt that a couple dozen hours every four years are going to send TV stations into bankruptcy...
