and why I am not a fan…
The prompt for October 21st from the Ultimate Blogging Challenge is to write about this year’s election. I am supposed to talk about candidates and what I think about their campaigning. Normally, I would say something about why attack ads and negative campaigning are a bad idea because I see political candidates as job seekers, and I want to know why they deserve the job. But, this time, I am going to offer a different perspective. Instead of talking about individual candidates, I want to discus systemic issues that are having a very negative effect on elections in the United States. Dark money. In my opinion, it seems like having millions of dollars from unknown sources floating into Super PACs should be banned, but, in 2010, when the Supreme Court ruled that “money is speech” in the infamous “Citizens United” decision, apparently, that also included “dark money.”
Here are some numbers from U.S. News and World Report, as of October 7. They reported that campaign spending is expected to reach $11.6 billion, up from $8.9 billion spent in the 2022 midterm election. The money is coming from Super PACs, which have to disclose the identities of their donors. With dark money, there is no such requirement. What I have figured out is that nonprofits that can raise money for political ads, mailers, and canvassing also cannot use that money to influence elections. These nonprofits are 501(c)(4), which is a type of nonprofit that can engage in unlimited lobbying and limited types of campaigning. They are, unlike a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, not tax exempt.
But, because the 501(c)(4) nonprofits cannot influence elections, they will transfer the money to a Super PAC. The Super PAC, as I mentioned before, is required to disclose the identities of their donors, but they are not required to disclose the identities of their donors’ contributors. Hence, there’s a great deal of secrecy, as a result of loopholes in the laws.
Who has more input into how people in government vote: the donors or the constituents?
The New York Times, in August, reported that more than one billion dollars in anonymous donations was flowing into the midterm elections.
That’s a monumental amount of money.
I remember Chris Collins, a Member of the House of Representatives from Western New York, who was actually caught in an insider trade. He was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit securities fraud and for lying to the FBI. He had openly said that he was more interested in doing the will of his donors than in following the wishes of his constituents. He later received a presidential pardon.
How do we get accountability back into government?
When more than a billion dollars of money from unidentified sources is flowing into Super PACs across the country, where is the accountability?
In my opinion, this problem is systemic.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that “money is speech.”
Apparently, lots of money is “energetic speech.”
But, for those of us who can’t fling piles of money at 501(c)(4) nonprofits, there is a sense of powerlessness. Our voices feel very small in comparison with the loud voices of big donors. And, even worse, anonymous big donors. In a democratic society, shouldn’t we have a voice, too? As the amount of dark money grows, the voices of constituents becomes more inaudible.
Is our “democratic society” all smoke and mirrors? Has it become a plutocracy? The issue of dark money in campaigns grows worse with every election. I haven’t seen any sign that anyone in elective office is willing to fix a system that becomes less representative of ordinary constituents with each election.
Here is a definition of plutocracy, according the EBSCO website ((EBSCO is a large provider of research data bases and it is considered to be a reliable source.).: “Plutocracy is a form of governance where the wealthy hold significant power and influence over political decision-making.”
How can I talk about candidates and what I think about their campaigning when I don’t know who is funding the Super PACs that have such a huge impact on elections? How do we fix a system that feels completely broken?
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I have heard that dark money often contributes to both candidates but lends their influence – determining who wins – by controlling what goes into the ads. And I think some of these contributors are not American. So I completely agree with you that this is where the problem is. Sometimes I even wonder if it matters who the candidates are.
I think you’ve raised some good points, Jeanine. I couldn’t agree more.
I’m not really into politics, but I agree that the money spent during the elections must be transparent for the political candidates in all parties, especially the Republicans and Democrats. And yes, I agree with you that the American political system is in disarray.
Thank you for your viewpoint. I believe that transparency and accountability are everything.
I agree, Alice. Money gives people an unfair advantage in politics, especially when donors remain anonymous. A former colleague of mine ran for local council here in Switzerland and spent quite a bit on campaign posters, but wasn’t elected. Having worked with him, I knew his public image didn’t quite match reality. In a small community, voters often know the candidates personally, which is much harder in the US.
Our local elections are different than statewide or national elections. Yes, in a small community, such as the town I live in, many of us do know the candidates. We can ask them questions or have conversations with them. Our local elections will be next year.
The massive amount of money goes for national and statewide elections mostly. This is where the system breaks down. The lack of transparency is atrocious and even scary.
Alice, I don’t know too much about campaign money spent. I wonder how much does the ordinary Americans understand what is happening. How is the media reporting to what is really going on? What is the news the ordinary citizens see and hear. I’m in Canada. I’ve been reading Heather Cox Richardson and Heather Delaney Reese reporting on Trump and his administration. It is frightening to read what they are writing. All that corruption, now right out in the open and they are not stopped. I hope that they are not enable to rig the election.
I honestly don’t know what ordinary Americans know. I have the advantage of being a journalist, and I know where to find sources of information. Some Americans believe memes, which is scary because the “information” provided in memes is far from accurate. I would say that, with Heather Cox Richardson and Heather Delaney Reese, you’re getting good information about the Trump administration. There is, unfortunately, so much going on in the United States that can only be described as frightening.
I believe that Trump’s “Save Act,” which didn’t get through Congress, was an attempt at rigging the elections. Trump was trying a power play and using an excuse of “people aren’t required to present ID when they vote.” It was a power play because elections are run by states, not the federal government, and Trump was trying to take control away from the states. That plan failed. I don’t know what Trump’s next plan for rigging the election will be. We live in scary times.