527s and the reform politics stuff going on now

[Skidmore]

I heard Dick Armey say the other day that Dems get most of their support from 527 groups and Rs get their support from individual donors. Assuming Armey knows what he's talking about and the idea for reform by the Rs is to eliminate 527s and increase contributions by individual donors, how screwed will the Dems be? It seems that 527s are the way in which the average citizen can make their voices heard if money is the lingua franca for politicians. In the absence of a will on the part of lawmakers to embrace a system of public financing, what needs to be done to maintain some access to the political system if the Dems roll over and the 527s are taken away?