Sentors Dick Durbin and Chris Dodd yesterday they will push for public financing of federal election campaigns, the Hill reports.

Let’s define exactly what that means: Taxpayer dollars would pay for campaign staff, campaign ads, opposition research, lawn signs, bumper stickers and all the rest.

Perfect. Welfare for politicians. Just what we need.

Let’s see, we’re likely to have a $400 billion budget deficit next year. Government spending is being cut, except on the military and homeland security where we aren’t spending enough. And these dolts want to spend taxpayer money on their campaigns. Seriously, how completely out of touch and mind-numbingly clueless do you have to be to even suggest this?

(Note: Durbin is the #2 Dem in the Senate. Dodd is the top Dem on the Senate Rules Committee. Should we infer from this that their Dem colleagues are on board with their assinine proposal?)

Cam: Great. Because I really want my tax dollars to fund political campaigns. I suppose the thinking is that a system in which the candidates attract donations based on popularity is unfair?

Marshall: My buddy Krempasky adds: “I’ve always been fond of the simple fact that if your ideas can’t raise at least a little bit of money — they aren’t worth having in our politics.”

Jim: Okay - I can see why I would endorse this if I were a politician. I never have to worry about raising money ever again. I screw the taxpayers - er, I mean, I shift the responsibility of financing my campaign to the federal government, and a lot more of my time can be spent on junkets, lining up post-retirement lobbying jobs, and sleeping on Stephanopolous’ office couch the way Joe Biden does so I can appear on “This Week” for twenty Sundays in a row.

What I don’t get is what political advantage there is to propose this right now. Even if the Abramoff stuff takes off, even if they find all kinds of scandals, I can’t imagine the public getting really enthused about paying for campaigns. I can see the usual goo-goo columnists endorsing this - E.J. Dionne, call your office. But this is such an easy issue for the Republicans to punch back on: “Congressman So-and-so is tired of paying for his own campaigns… so he wants you to pay his bills!”