Haley Barbour on Mitt Romney, the veepstakes and dismantling the campaign finance system

 

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Dissolve outside campaign finance groups

Even though Barbour is currently affiliated with American Crossroads, a group with a sister organization, Crossroads GPS, which can legally spend to influence elections without revealing its donors, he's no fan of the legal system that allows the latter to exist.

Barbour expressed frustration over restrictions on the amount of donations given directly to political candidates and parties, and called for dismantling the current regulations.

His proposal is similar to the one advocated by Newt Gingrich and Romney during the primaries, which would allow unlimited donations to candidates so long as the source of the money was made public within 24 hours of handing over the cheque.

"I have no idea why we don't do that," he said. "I think people are right to think we have a bad system. And the reason we have a bad system is because the two organizations that you are limited in giving money to are the campaign itself and the candidate's party."

Barbour disagrees with the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which allowed unlimited election spending by labor unions and corporations.

But so long as the current system exists he'll continue raising money for outside groups.

"So long as you've got the strictures we have now," he said, "you're going to have the system like we've got."