North scratched his head on the access assessment as well. If you've got any issue you want to talk over, my door's always open. North proposed shortening the election cycle and improving disclosure of where soft-money funds are coming from. Neumann proposed a soft-money ban. Both noted that the kinds of ads funded by soft money are typically of the mud-slinging variety against the opposing candidate.
People already have a bad impression of politicians.
When this happens, they get more apathetic, and they stay home on election day because of it. They don't want themselves and their families to come under attack. But among the biggest soft-money contributors to Michigan races in the past election were the national Democratic and Republican political committees, Robinson said. Term-limits, far from helping matters, are making them worse, both North and Ballanger said. Where once only a few seats would make a difference in leadership of a legislative chamber, the stakes have risen in more districts, with more uncontested races caused by incumbents who cannot run again.