Scandal in the Making - washingtonpost.com

The Washington Post

IMAGINE THIS scenario: It's late summer. The Democratic and Republican conventions are about to begin. The parties' nominees have decided that it would be better for the political system -- and, no doubt, easier for them -- to accept full public financing for the general election rather than scramble to raise the money on their own. But there's no way for them to get the checks, about $85 million apiece. That's because before the checks can be issued, the Federal Election Commission must certify each nominee's eligibility to receive federal funding. Four commission members are required for such certification -- and because of a congressional standoff over confirming new members, the FEC is now operating with just two members out of the six it is supposed to have. This means that, in addition to being frozen on public financing, the FEC is unable to write regulations, launch enforcement actions or issue advisory opinions.