Erik Moe Art & Design

Senator Obama’s first act as top Democrat was to bring the clean fund raising policies of his campaign to the Democratic National Committee. Funds from Political Action Committees and registered lobbyists will no longer be accepted at the DNC. As a first move, it makes me very hopeful for things to come. Since moving from Minnesota’s squeaky-clean political atmosphere to the smoggy air of Philadelphia machine politics in 2001, I’ve realized that cleaning up democracy needs to be job one if real progress is to be made on most any other issue. Taking the high ground on campaign funding is a great place to start. It also signals that anyone who wants a job with Obama (particularly Vice President) will need to dedicate themselves to openness and financial disclosure as well.