4A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA KANSAN
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2006
SPEAKER
Author criticizes fundraising
Republican argues for increased competition, disclosure
BY ERIN CASTANEDA
Give the power to the people because that's what America's Founding Fathers intended, said Rodney Smith, Republican campaign fundraiser.
He addressed the topic of campaign fundraising and how it prevented true competition in the election process to an audience of about 55 at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics Thursday night.
Smith is an expert on the topic. In 30 years, he raised more than a billion dollars for Republican committees and candidates. He also wrote the book "Money, Power and Elections: How Campaign Finance Reform Subverts American Democracy," recently published by Louisiana State University.
His book evaluates the election process historically. He studied two control periods, the first, from 1920 to 1976 and the second, from 1976 to 2000.
"Since 1976, there has been a 60 percent drop in the number of challengers to race against incumbents," he said.
He argued that government controlled elections with finance reform laws. He said finance reform laws increased the chance of incumbents being re-elected in the House and Senate.
He also argued that the right of free speech was not in fact free and "without money, candidates are speechless," he said.
"The laws have shifted the odds of winning to the wealthy; the incumbents and the challenger gets the crumbs," he said.
In his book and to the audience, he explained how the Founding Fathers started democracy and gave people the power of free speech. He said there were fewer campaigns today because there was not enough financial competition.
He said America needed to do away with dangerous limitations. He would rather see full public disclosure of a candidate's campaign funds so that the public could see where the money comes from and
how it's used. This, he said, would allow people to make an informed decision.
"Let the candidates have enough money to draw attention to their issues and create more debate," he said. "Debate is what the country desperately needs."
Smith said candidates had the choice to raise money on their own or take government subsidies. He said in general, whoever raised the most money won primaries. He looked to 2008 and speculated that candidates who raised their own money would also be more likely to win elections.
After his lecture, he answered questions from the audience and signed copies of his book.
"It's a power play, and it brings instability to the election process," he said.
Kansan staff writer Erin Castanea da can be contacted at ecastanea-da@kansan.com.
- Edited by Shanxi Upsdell
Director still defending work KU alumus' films,plays continue to spark controversy
BY DARLA SLIPKE
PROFILE
Ron Willis was director of the theater and film department when LaBute attended the University. He said LaBute was always very committed and focused.
LaBute said he was "hungry" to do work, but there was a limited amount of facilities in which he could perform. He formed a free theater group that
Director and writer Neil LaBute never let external challenges thwart his work.
LaBute's most recent film, "The Wicker Man," starring Nicolas Cage, has grossed more than $18 million in the U.S. LaBute has directed seven other films and has had numerous plays produced in London and New York. However, despite his success, LaBute is accustomed to overcoming adversity related to his work.
LaBute did his graduate studies at the University of Kansas from 1986 to 1989, where he developed a zeal and an attitude that nothing would stop him. LaBute said he spent many hours tucked away "deep in the belly of the library," reading modern British playwrights.
performed in unconventional spaces, such as underneath the stairs at the Natural History Museum in Dyche Hall, south of the Kansas Union.
"It had this student revolutionary feel to it." LaBute said.
LaBute remembered performing "All Men are Whores" on the steps of the library during freshman orientation, which he said some of the administration frowned upon. He also performed in a storage room of Hashinger Hall.
Robert Findlay, who was LaBute's playwriting teacher, attended several of those performances that were staged at residence halls. He said LaBute and his work were brilliant.
"It was clear that he was going someplace," Findlay said. "He was an unusual talent."
LaBate developed his persistence and passion as an undergraduate student at Brigham Young University. He said his plays there were often performed at odd hours, such as 9 a.m., and were rarely publicized because the administration of the Mormon school was disapprovving of his work.
For a long time, LaBute felt that he was justifying himself and his work
to his classmates, his administrators and his church. He said the hot air that came with being young, brash and in love with what he was doing helped him to work through that, but it was difficult. He recently resigned his membership from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which he joined while at BYU.
Critics and viewers have attacked his work for being brutally violent and dark. But LaBute said he was only trying to make his work honest and faithful to his characters.
"That means sometimes the story ends unhappyly or it doesn't work out for them," he said.
Although his stories sometimes project a bleak outlook, "rays of hope" always shine through the darkness, LaBute said.
LaBute is rehearsing the play "Racks," which was originally performed in Ireland and will be revived in New York with Ed Harris.
Kansan staff writer Darla Slipke can be contacted at dslipke@kansan.com.
Edited by Elyse Weidner
INTERNATIONAL
Palestinian government changes Talks will reconvene with U.N. about peace plan
BY SARAH EL DEEB ASSOCIATED PRESS
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian Cabinet resigned Wednesday to clear the way for a new unity government, and President Mahmoud Abbas said he plans to send a delegation to the U.N. to try to revive a Mideast peace plan.
The mass resignation is the first step in forming a government that would include both the Islamic milli-
tant group Hamas and Abbas' moderate Fatah faction.
Government spokesman Ghazi Hamad said the ministers handed their portfolios to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader. The next step would be Haniyeh's resignation. Abbas would then pick a candidate to form a new government — probably Haniyeh.
Abbas said earlier Wednesday that he would send a delegation to the U.N. General Assembly next week to try to revive the long-stalled
"road map" peace plan.
The plan — drafted by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia known as the Quartet — called for confidence building steps leading to the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel by 2005. It was launched by President Bush with great fanfare at a summit in Jordan in June 2003. But neither the Palestinians nor Israel met their initial obligations, and the plan never got off the ground.
"We want to revive the road map at the United Nations," Abbas said during a televised news conference with Polish President Lech Kaczynski in Ramallah.
Israel echoed those remarks.
"We're all for the restarting of the road map," Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said, adding that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke about revitalizing the peace plan over the weekend with visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
U. N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Wednesday members of the Quartet would meet next week on the sidelines of the General Assembly meeting, calling it "a very critical time for the people in Palestine."
Annan said he received a call
on Tuesday from Abbas informing him of the agreement with Hamas to form a unity government in which all members must accept the program and previous agreements entered into by the Palestine Liberation Organization.
"I think this is a very important development," Annan said of the unity government.
Western governments froze aid and halted contacts with the Palestinian Authority when Hamas refused to moderate its militant positions after winning January parliamentary elections and forming a government.
Abbas said Hanijey would likely remain in his post.
"As for who will be prime minister, of course the majority in parliament will be making the decision, and, without a doubt, the majority in parliament want Haniyeh," the president said. "But until now we can't say when he will form a new government. And as I said in the beginning of the week, the government will be formed soon, God willing."
She said Abbas "is someone with whom we can work and with whom we are working"
But Rice insisted a Palestinian coalition must adhere to internationally accepted principles of recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and accepting previous agreements between Palestinians and the Israelis.
Those are the "very essential elements" of a solution, she said. "It's hard to have a partner for peace if you don't accept the right of the other partner to exist."
Livni, who met Bush on Wednesday, said Abbas "has to decide whether the Palestinian Authority will operate on his terms or on the terrorists' terms."
Israel, the United States and European Union label Hamas a terror group and insist it must renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept previous peace accords. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the U.S. would not resume aid until the Palestinian government accepts all the conditions.