Agree wholeheartedly. Right now there's great incentive to send stupid chain letters around, and to make outlandishly false claims--because they help you raise money. Which you need to get elected. So we are reaping what we sow. Plus any donors have elevated access, which presents further problems.

And perhaps more subtly, but equally important is that in our current election/campaign finance situation -- politicians find it easiest to fund-raise when they are NOT solving problems. It was easier for both sides to solicit donations before health care reforms passed, as opposed to now. The incentive for the pols is to keep issues tied up as long as possible--which clearly is not the incentive structure we want in place.

Alas, while the idea of publicly funded elections is simple, I'd be curious how to tackle it legislatively. What's an "issue ad?". Is a Michael Moore theatrically released movie permitted in election season? Can you pay people to knock on doors?