What's wrong with this presidential campaign reform concept?

[DebJ]

What would happen to the costs of presidential campaign financing if the following rules were in place?
1)Absolutely no advertising allowed in the media or on billboards, etc. (But putting signs up in your private home is fine.)
2)Public television and radio must:
- give each candidate several one hour chunks of time, uninterrupted, to explain his/her issues
- broadcast debates - genuine debates where the candidates rebut each other, as they do in sessions of Parliament, each side weighted down with huge reference books full of documentation....NOT these Q&A sessions we've seen labelled as 'debates', and not with questions posed by the right wing media.

What would this do to the costs of a presidential campaign? Seriously, does anyone have a source showing what percentage of costs go to advertising and other categories?

I think the biggest 'problem' with this idea is that media and advertising markets would lose a great deal of money (boo hoo). Since they have lots of money, they would fight this tooth and nail, no doubt. And the slanted media certainly would not want a system based on genuine information and issues, instead of 'bytes'. The media wants 'fair and balanced' uniformed reporting.

[stopthegop]

1. "no advertising allowed "

I can't believe any court would allow that...1st amendment and all...even if you restricted the prohibition (or restricted the restriction, I guess!) to the candidate, he's still a citizen...

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Ok

Click on the link to my site, then click the link about Publicly financed campaigns. :)

[spindoctor]

3. Political Money Line

This site keeps track of politician's earnings and spendings.

http://www.tray.com/cgi-win/pml1_sql_PRESIDENTIAL.exe?DoFn=2004

http://www.opensecrets.org is another source

[SoCalDem]

4. I would allow attributed print ads, and mailers..

Candidates should not have to buy ads on tv.. There is no earthly reason that each candidate could not have some of "our" airwaves every two years..

I would take it one step further.. The reason they need to fundraise, and why they are so vulnerable to lobbyists and special interest groups would then be eliminated.. With no real worry about where they will get the money for all the ads, they could then turn their attention to what we send them to DC in the first place..

Lobbying should be a felony.. It's bribery..

No lobbyist should ever have unfettered contact with legislators.. If they want televised hearins, great.. But any legislator who has connections to (wife, brother, friend, anyone) should be disqualified for his seat.. There are too many quid pro quo deals that can be cut, to just disqualify them from voting on "those" issues..

Lobbying should be a felony.. It's bribery ...

There are so many unused channels , that there is NO reason to not have one designated as the Politics channel..

All candidates should have equal time, and have to undergo serious "vetting", much like we do for judicial appointments..

We hire them to do our bidding, not to enrich their pals & families..