Having made a career out of political fundraising for state and national level campaigns, political consultants Pamela L. Finmark and William D. Chalmers, recently retired, are now doing penance, and touting a complete overhaul of the campaign finance system. In an op-ed in yesterday's Los Angeles Times, the duo contend that -- the influx of small donors this election season notwithstanding -- the $6.3 billion funneled to campaigns, 527s and political parties is "a policy-corrupting amount of cash."

Pronouncing post-Watergate and McCain-Feingold reforms alike a shell game, the two instead tout the "patriot dollars" plan, proposed by Yale law professors Bruce Ackerman and Ian Ayres, which gives every voter a $50 ATM card to spend on his or her candidate of choice. The idea, which debuted nearly a decade ago, has gotten periodic plaudits on newspaper op-ed pages and has the Center for American Progress' Matt Miller as a booster.

                                                                                                              -- Julie Kosterlitz