Exposing the political corruptors
Democrats to Ask for Curbs on Donor-Shielding Groups
By JONATHAN WEISMAN, NYT
WASHINGTON — The Democratic Party’s Senate campaign arm will file a formal complaint on Monday with the Federal Election Commission against three of the Republicans’ biggest campaign groups, accusing them of willful violations of federal election law and asking that their electioneering be stopped.
The complaint by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee against Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, Americans for Prosperity and the 60 Plus Association begins a new phase in the Democrats’ struggle to keep pace with Republicans since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling. That decision cleared the way for unlimited campaign donations to a new breed of “super PACs” from corporations, unions and wealthy contributors.
The complaint targets Republican-leaning “social welfare” organizations that have received or are requesting tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, which allows funding sources to be kept private. Such groups are prohibited from devoting themselves primarily to political activity, but Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, for instance, has conducted a $25 million advertising campaign that attacks President Obama on fiscal issues.
Mr. Obama has inveighed against the influence of outside money on the political process, but his campaign has more recently signaled that donors should give to pro-Obama super PACs, which can run overtly political ads and must disclose donors. But Democratic groups in general have not kept pace in raising money, especially in Senate races, which have already attracted a barrage of negative Republican advertising.
(More here.)
By JONATHAN WEISMAN, NYT
WASHINGTON — The Democratic Party’s Senate campaign arm will file a formal complaint on Monday with the Federal Election Commission against three of the Republicans’ biggest campaign groups, accusing them of willful violations of federal election law and asking that their electioneering be stopped.
The complaint by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee against Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, Americans for Prosperity and the 60 Plus Association begins a new phase in the Democrats’ struggle to keep pace with Republicans since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling. That decision cleared the way for unlimited campaign donations to a new breed of “super PACs” from corporations, unions and wealthy contributors.
The complaint targets Republican-leaning “social welfare” organizations that have received or are requesting tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, which allows funding sources to be kept private. Such groups are prohibited from devoting themselves primarily to political activity, but Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, for instance, has conducted a $25 million advertising campaign that attacks President Obama on fiscal issues.
Mr. Obama has inveighed against the influence of outside money on the political process, but his campaign has more recently signaled that donors should give to pro-Obama super PACs, which can run overtly political ads and must disclose donors. But Democratic groups in general have not kept pace in raising money, especially in Senate races, which have already attracted a barrage of negative Republican advertising.
(More here.)
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