论美国竞选财政中的“软钱革命”

The "Soft Money Revolution" in Americas Campaign Financing

20世纪 80年代以来 ,美国竞选财政中的最大变化就是越来越多的“软钱”卷入到竞选过程之中 ,成为候选人谋求当选的重要工具。“软钱革命”在客观上已经对美国代议民主制形成了严峻的挑战 ,特别是“软钱”制造了大量的政治腐败。多年以来 ,美国国内社会各界对有关“软钱”立法问题争论激烈难以形成共识。美国如要通过立法对“软钱”加以限制 ,堵塞宪政民主体制中存在的漏洞 。

Since 1980, 'soft money' has been increasingly involved in American election campaigns, giving an effective instrument to political candidates. The American system of representative democracy has been seriously challenged by this phenomenon, especially because the 'soft money' results in enormous political corruption. Heated debates over the legislation for soft money have continued in the United States but no agreement has yet been reached. However, the U.S. government has clearly realized that they must regulate the soft money through legislation so as to plug the holes in the democracy system. But this will take a long time to realize.