Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumprimary today, I would vote for: Undecided
bluewater
(5,376 posts)Officially no. But it's easy to understand why it sometimes can seem as though they do. Although a candidate cannot coordinate expenditures with a super PAC (tell the PAC where an ad might be placed, whether the ad should be positive or negative, or what voters canvassers should contact), there's no law that says a candidate can't have connections with a the entities backing his or her election. Many super PACs such as the one supporting Romney, the pro-Newt Gingrich Winning Our Future, and Priorities USA, which backs President Obama are run by former top aides of the candidates. And candidates can headline fundraisers for the super PACs that are supporting them (as Romney has) so long as they don't ask for donations beyond the legal limits permitted for their own campaign committees. Donors are free to write larger checks and super PAC staffers are free to ask for them, but as long as the candidate abides by federal campaign limits or doesnt actually ask for funds. its all kosher. Bottom line: There's a legal prohibition against candidates' coordinating with super PACs but the FEC has been exceedingly lenient in defining what constitutions coordination, as University of California law professor Rick Hasen pithily outlines in his Election Law Blog.
Traditional political action committees are bound by a $5,000 annual limit on the size of contributions they can accept from individuals and are prohibited from accepting contributions from corporations and labor unions. A super PAC is freed from these restrictions under two conditions: The PAC must neither 1) give money directly to a candidate or other political committees that give directly to candidates, nor 2) coordinate how it spends its money with a federal candidate. As long as those two conditions are met, a super PAC may accept donations directly from corporate or union treasuries and in amounts that are limited only by the size of donors' bank accounts. Movie mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg wrote a $2 million check to the super PAC backing President Obama's reelection; casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and his wife have reportedly underwritten a super PAC backing Newt Gingrich to the tune of $10 million. Neither of these donations could have been legally given to a traditional PAC.
The Supreme Courts ruling in Citizens United made it easier for corporations and unions to use their treasuries to directly influence elections. Some restrictions remain: if they want to give directly to candidates, they still have to establish political action committees and raise funds for them. But there are limits on how much traditional political action committees can accept in contributions and from whom: Currently, the cap on individual contributions is $5,000 a year. Donors to traditional union and corporate PACS must work for or own shares in those corporations or belong to those unions. They must be identified and the amounts of their donations made public. By contrast, super PACs can accept money in unlimited amounts from unions, corporations and unaffiliated individuals as well as from non-profit organizations that have been incorporated under innocuous-sounding names and that do not have to report the sources of their funding. That means individuals and entities with whom candidates might not wish to be publicly associated can support their campaigns anonymously.
Anything except contribute directly to, or coordinate expenditures with, candidates and candidate committees. They can pay for any typical political expenditure, and then some. Super PACs can and do pay for television ads, phone banks, canvassers and bumper stickers. In other words, they can act as a shadow campaign.
https://sunlightfoundation.com/2012/01/31/nine-things-you-need-know-about-super-pacs/
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Response to bluewater (Reply #1)
beastie boy This message was self-deleted by its author.
Politicub
(12,165 posts)Campaign finance law needs to be reformed, but it has not been. We would be crazy to do anything that will hamstring ability to get the democratic message across.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
bluewater
(5,376 posts)We'll have to wait and see what Joe's Super Pac shadow campaign actually does with their big donor and corporate money.
Anything except contribute directly to, or coordinate expenditures with, candidates and candidate committees. They can pay for any typical political expenditure, and then some. Super PACs can and do pay for television ads, phone banks, canvassers and bumper stickers. In other words, they can act as a shadow campaign.
I hope to god Joe's Super Pac won't go negative on any of our Democratic candidates. That would have major negative repercussions.
https://sunlightfoundation.com/2012/01/31/nine-things-you-need-know-about-super-pacs/
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Gothmog
(145,063 posts)Link to tweet
The Democratic primary fields leading progressives, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), also saw their private air travel spending swell in the three-month fundraising period. Sanderss spending rose from $18,000 in the second quarter to more than $360,000 in the third. Meanwhile, Warrens spending jumped from just under $34,000 to more than $132,000.
An aide to Warrens campaign said that the campaign offsets its carbon emissions from travel, noting that it paid $10,150 to Native Energy, a carbon offset provider, last month. Buttigiegs campaign likewise spent $1,900 on carbon offsets, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Sigh.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
SMC22307
(8,090 posts)This process is ridiculous... started waaaaaay too early with too many candidates.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
tishaLA
(14,176 posts)and then does only 1.900 in carbon offsets. The figure is so low that it'd be less insulting if he didn't do any offsets at all.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
RudyColludie
(43 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Demsrule86
(68,539 posts)He put climate and gun legislation on the floor so spare me the smears...as for carbon offsets...dumb idea in my opinion. Those top polluters won't mind shelling out the bucks.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
bluewater
(5,376 posts)https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/once-the-poorest-senator-middle-class-joe-biden-has-reaped-millions-in-income-since-leaving-the-vice-presidency/2019/06/25/931458a8-938d-11e9-b570-6416efdc0803_story.html
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/parking-for-over-20-cars-biden-living-in-6m-mansion-on-waterfront-estate-overlooking-washington-dc
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Skya Rhen
(2,701 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden