A Reform Agenda Unfulfilled

Terrific, but the question arises: Where has this guy been for the last seven years, especially on the issue of campaign finance reform? "It's great for him to talk about it but he's done nothing for the last seven years," said Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer. Although he credits the administration for helping stop some legislative changes that would have made matters even worse. "It's a fundamental failure of his presidency."

In 2008, Obama put the nail in the coffin of the public financing system for presidential campaigns, becoming the first presidential candidate since Watergate to run a campaign fueled entirely by private money. Obama vowed then that he was "firmly committed to reforming the system as president." Uh-huh.

More broadly, Obama has denounced the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, most notably in his 2010 State of the Union address, but has put no real effort into fixing the mess created by the rise of super PACs and, even worse, the gusher of undisclosed "dark money" to groups that claim exemption from reporting requirements.

Obama's Internal Revenue Service has repeatedly postponed writing rules that would force these phony "social welfare organizations" to disclose political spending. The Federal Election Commission remains as dysfunctional as it was the day he took office.

And campaign finance reform advocates have been beseeching the administration for years now to shed at least some sunlight on dark money through an executive order that would require federal contractors to report these contributions. Such an order would not solve the dark money problem, but it would be an important start.

"I can't do these things on my own," Obama said of his promised political reform agenda. The executive order is one thing he can. And it wouldn't require that third term.

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Ruth Marcus' email address is ruthmarcus@washpost.com.