Robert A. Levine 2-13-12
The Citizen’s United ruling by the Supreme Court two years ago, equating donations of money with
free speech, changed the political landscape for campaign fundraising, fostering the emergence of SuperPACs as the main conduit for wealthy contributors. President Obama’s recent change of heart regarding the pursuit of funds for Democratic SuperPACs to compete with Republican entities has provided another issue that allows him to be skewered by his opponents. The latter, of course, who are collecting sums at a breathtaking pace from their stable of affluent donors, do not acknowledge their hypocrisy in criticizing Obama for doing the very same thing.
However, Obama did previously take a strong stand in opposition to the SuperPACs. This position apparently changed when he became convinced that his unwillingness to seek financing for his own SuperPACs would place him at a competitive disadvantage in his current campaign for re-election. While the SuperPACs of the Republican candidates are engaged mainly in internecine warfare at the moment, they are still managing to fire regular broadsides at the president.
The organization tied to Mitt Romney, Restore Our Future, raised $18 million from two hundred
donors in the second half of last year, with 10% of the billionaires in America contributing. Newt Gingrich’s campaign is being kept alive by one man, Sheldon Adelson, the hotel and gambling magnate, with him and his wife having donated $10 million to the Gingrich SuperPAC, Win Our Future. The SuperPAC of Rick Santorum, the Red, White and Blue Fund, is being supported by Foster Freiss, a wealthy backer of conservative causes. Though the Republican candidates and SuperPACs are fighting each other now, their antipathy for Obama will drive them to unite around the ultimate nominee, which means that all of their financing and vitriol will be directed at the president. In fact, Adelson has apparently already communicated his intention to donate money to support Romney if he is the nominee. And Karl Rove’s Republican SuperPAC, American Crossroads, collected $51 million last year, with an objective of an additional $200 million to be used in this year’s elections.
Did Obama have any alternative to trying to generate funds for his own Democratic SuperPAC? Obviously, there is some heavy financial artillery arrayed against him. But one of Obama’s strengths in the 2008 campaign resided in his ability to attract multiple donors to contribute small amounts for him over the Internet and through other channels. This time around, he already collected over $224 million for his campaign and the Democratic Party in 2011, with the efforts continuing this year. So he will not exactly be facing his Republican opponent “unilaterally disarmed” as Jim Messina, his campaign manager, claimed. However, direct donations to the presidential campaigns by any individual are capped at $2500 for this election cycle and $30,800 to party committees. There are no limits on donations to the SuperPACs, allowing huge sums to be harvested from a small number of contributors. This includes individuals, corporations, unions and other entities, making fundraising a lot simpler.
The SuperPACs are an invitation to corruption, with special interests able to buy support for their favored candidates with enormous sums. If President Obama had stuck to his guns in denouncing the SuperPACs and refused to use them in his current campaign, he would have held the moral high ground against his Republican opponent. Obama’s position would have elicited sympathy and backing from much of the electorate, fed up with the way special interests use money to dominate the political conversation. What’s more, it would have bolstered Obama’s standing with independent voters who strongly favor restrictions on campaign financing. And perhaps his viewpoint would have generated even more donations from an angry public to counter the SuperPACs. Now, Obama is just another candidate trying to raise as much money as possible to enhance his presidential race.
Obama’s current reversal mirrors a similar occurrence during the 2008 election cycle. Though John McCain and Obama had previously agreed on public financing for the presidential campaign, Obama reneged on the agreement when he realized that his fundraising would far surpass his opponent’s. It appears that whatever ideals Obama espouses when not under pressure, in the heat of an election battle he’s willing to do whatever he thinks is necessary to help him get elected. That’s what politicians do.
Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com
The Citizen’s United ruling by the Supreme Court two years ago, equating donations of money with
However, Obama did previously take a strong stand in opposition to the SuperPACs. This position apparently changed when he became convinced that his unwillingness to seek financing for his own SuperPACs would place him at a competitive disadvantage in his current campaign for re-election. While the SuperPACs of the Republican candidates are engaged mainly in internecine warfare at the moment, they are still managing to fire regular broadsides at the president.
The organization tied to Mitt Romney, Restore Our Future, raised $18 million from two hundred
Did Obama have any alternative to trying to generate funds for his own Democratic SuperPAC? Obviously, there is some heavy financial artillery arrayed against him. But one of Obama’s strengths in the 2008 campaign resided in his ability to attract multiple donors to contribute small amounts for him over the Internet and through other channels. This time around, he already collected over $224 million for his campaign and the Democratic Party in 2011, with the efforts continuing this year. So he will not exactly be facing his Republican opponent “unilaterally disarmed” as Jim Messina, his campaign manager, claimed. However, direct donations to the presidential campaigns by any individual are capped at $2500 for this election cycle and $30,800 to party committees. There are no limits on donations to the SuperPACs, allowing huge sums to be harvested from a small number of contributors. This includes individuals, corporations, unions and other entities, making fundraising a lot simpler.
The SuperPACs are an invitation to corruption, with special interests able to buy support for their favored candidates with enormous sums. If President Obama had stuck to his guns in denouncing the SuperPACs and refused to use them in his current campaign, he would have held the moral high ground against his Republican opponent. Obama’s position would have elicited sympathy and backing from much of the electorate, fed up with the way special interests use money to dominate the political conversation. What’s more, it would have bolstered Obama’s standing with independent voters who strongly favor restrictions on campaign financing. And perhaps his viewpoint would have generated even more donations from an angry public to counter the SuperPACs. Now, Obama is just another candidate trying to raise as much money as possible to enhance his presidential race.
Obama’s current reversal mirrors a similar occurrence during the 2008 election cycle. Though John McCain and Obama had previously agreed on public financing for the presidential campaign, Obama reneged on the agreement when he realized that his fundraising would far surpass his opponent’s. It appears that whatever ideals Obama espouses when not under pressure, in the heat of an election battle he’s willing to do whatever he thinks is necessary to help him get elected. That’s what politicians do.
Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com
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