The Theory and the Practice in the Presidential Election of United States

• Main Authors: Yi-an Chen, 陳怡安
• Other Authors: Edward I-shin Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2002
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/95600290854331072098

碩士 === 淡江大學 === 美國研究所 === 90 === Thesis Title: The Theory and the Practice of Total Pages: 116 Public Fund in Presidential Election of United States Key Words: Public Fund, Presidential Election Institution: Graduate Institute of American Studies, Tamkang University Graduate date: June 18, 2002 Degree Conferred: M.A. Name: Yi-an Chen Advisor: Dr. Edward I-Hsin Chen 陳怡安 Abstract: The main theme of this thesis is that Public funding of U.S. presidential campaigns was largely declined by the presence of soft money. The Public Fund was motivated in response to problems perceived to exist in the presidential electoral finance process. Those problems were: an inappropriate influence by wealthy contributors; the demands of fund-raising that prevented some candidates from adequately presenting their views to the public; and the rising cost of presidential campaigns which disqualified some candidates who lacked access to large sums of private campaign money. Public financing seeks to make available potential resources to serious presidential contenders so that they have the funds needed to present their ideas and views to the electorate. The rationale of public funding is based on the premise that the presidential electoral process should not be dominated by a wealthy group or class of political contributors, thereby allowing a wider competitive range of political ideas to be presented to the electorate. Large infusions of private funds, in the form of unregulated soft money, channeled to state and local party committees that may be raised and used by presidential candidates, now challenge the original public policy goals sought by federal campaign finance reformers in the 1970s. This phenomenon is construed to be a liability within the presidential public finance paradigm because it contradicts the intent of public funding as a means to alleviate the problems of resource contribution in presidential races. So it became questionable that the current presidential public funding program has achieved its public policy goals under the auspices of presidential finance reform. This study is to understand the reality of U.S. presidential finance, since public funding was designed as a way to eliminate undue influence associated with large private campaign donations in presidential politics and was devised to promote the availability of public subsidies to viable serious candidates in U.S. presidential elections.