Nation: Punching PACs

Wisconsin's Governor takes on the special interests

When Republican Populist Lee Dreyfus ran for Governor of Wisconsin in 1978, he refused to accept campaign contributions of more than $2,500 from the political action committees (PACs) of special interest groups like the Wisconsin Realtors Association, even though the legal limit was $25,000. Said he: "If you give me $25,000, I've got to listen to you pretty hard." He won handily, and last week Governor Dreyfus went a step further. He sent a bill to the state legislature that would prohibit PACs from contributing any money directly to candidates but would permit the committees...