Ohio Sen 3rd: Goodman (R) Totally Out of Touch on Campaign Finance

Everybody in the 3rd Ohio Senate District ought to log on to The Ohio Channel and watch this speech by State Sen. David Goodman (R-New Albany) in the debate on H.B. (Sub.) 1, which raised contribution limits in political campaigns astronomically (a 300% increase to $10,000). It's in Segment #2, about half way through.

This man is either pathetically naive or completely dishonest. He says that the other State Senators might be influenced by campaign money, but he is not. "I'm not influenced by money," he declared, and later "I am incorruptible." He points out that State Senators make "only $56,000 a year" and comments that the job "doesn't mean that much" to him. He even says that it "demeans this body" to say that legislators may be influenced by money!

This guy is dangerous. He sounds like he doesn't believe in any limits at all. Let the money flow! Even if he was right about his own lily-white incorruptibility, that wouldn't make it good policy to pour unlimited campaign money into other, less pristine candidates' coffers. What it really indicates is that he is wildly out of touch with reality.