Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Group seeks investigation of Super PACs

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In a case of closing the barn door after the horses left, a group wants to challenge the legality of Super PACs. I can’t help wondering what took them so long, and why are they just looking at two of the Super PACs?

The group, Democracy 21, named Obama and Romney’s Super PACs, but there was no mention of Gingrich’s “Winning America” Super PAC, or Santorum’s Super PAC, “ Red, White, and Blue Fund.” Why is that? Is someone from one of the two un-named Super PACs behind the challenge?

Perhaps the most disheartening thing is Obama’s reversal (as usual) on these Super PACs. Just last year, they were bad according to Obama. Now, because his political handlers say he need’s the money, he does an about face and has his own PAC.

Can anything stop the PACs from deciding the election this year?

I doubt it. We’ll just have to see who had the most money to buy the presidency.

Some recent news about Super PACs:

 “A top strategist who works with Democratic Super PACs told NBC News that the White House decision came after mounting worries within party circles that spending by a phalanx of GOP Super PACs could reach $1 billion by election day -- including $100 million from the conservative oil magnate Koch brothers -- drowning out the president's message

"When you see numbers like that, it starts getting a little spooky," the strategist said.

He also said most big Democratic donors have so far been gun shy of the Super PACs, because of Obama's past criticism of such groups. In the 2010 election, Obama charged that GOP groups, fueled with “special interest” money, were threatening to “hijack” democracy.

"We need some of our big birds to get off the wire," the strategist said, noting that some wealthy donors have expressed concerns that they'll be "demonized" if they give to one of the Democratic Super PACs.

So far, Priorities USA Action has had relatively little success in raising funds, reporting last week that it had collected just $4.4 million through the end of last year. A Priorities official said it had raised another $2.3 million via a 501(c)4 arm that doesn’t have to disclose donors. (The Karl Rove-Ed Gillespie-led groups American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS have a similar set up and has raised far more money.)  (excerpts from this article)

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