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Opinion

Obama’s Fundraising Success May Herald a Whole New Model

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has created the potential for a new model of campaign financing, and a new (or at least altered) approach to campaign finance reform. I am not referring to his decision to opt out of the public funding system, for which he has taken serious flak from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), major newspaper editorial pages, many columnists and a slew of reformers. I mean in his incredible ability to craft a wholly new funding system that has already raised almost $300 million for the nominating process from approximately 1.7 million individual donors.

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House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica conducts a committee markup hearing of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act on Feb. 2.
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30 Hill Aides to Know

30 Hill Aides to Know

The clear expectation is Congress will get very little done this election year. But what does get accomplished, at least in the high-profile areas, will largely be the handiwork of an elite group of staffers — who combine policy expertise, political acumen and the trust of their lawmaker bosses to drive much of the legislative agenda.

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