Inside The Campaign Finance Battle

Author : Anthony Corrado,Thomas E. Mann,Trevor Potter
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 512 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2004-05-26
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0815715846

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Inside the Campaign Finance Battle by Anthony Corrado,Thomas E. Mann,Trevor Potter Pdf

In 2002 Congress enacted the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), the first major revision of federal campaign finance law in a generation. In March 2001, after a fiercely contested and highly divisive seven-year partisan legislative battle, the Senate passed S. 27, known as the McCain-Feingold legislation. The House responded by passing H.R. 2356, companion legislation known as Shays-Meehan, in February 2002. The Senate then approved the House-passed version, and President George W. Bush signed BCRA into law on March 27, 2002, stating that the bill had "flaws" but overall "improves the current system of financing for federal campaigns." The Reform Act was taken to court within hours of the President's signature. Dozens of interest groups and lawmakers who had opposed passage of the Act in Congress lodged complaints that challenged the constitutionality of virtually every aspect of the new law. Following review by a special three-judge panel, the case is expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003. This litigation constitutes the most important campaign finance case since the Supreme Court issued its decision in Buckley v. Valeo more than twenty-five years ago. The testimony, submitted by some of the country's most knowledgeable political scientists and most experienced politicians, constitutes an invaluable body of knowledge about the complexities of campaign finance and the role of money in our political system. Unfortunately, only the lawyers, political scientists, and practitioners actually involved in the litigation have seen most of this writing—until now. Ins ide the Campaign Finance Battle makes key testimony in this historic case available to a general readership, in the process shedding new light on campaign finance practices central to the congressional debate on the reform act and to the landmark litigation challenging its constitutionality.

Author : Frank J. Sorauf
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 1994-01-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0300059329

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Inside Campaign Finance by Frank J. Sorauf Pdf

The issues surrounding money in American elections are continually controversial. How much does money affect the outcome of elections? Do those who help finance candidates exert undue influence in the making of public policy? In this landmark book, one of America's most distinguished political scientists explores the dynamics and consequences of campaign finance in America and explodes many myths about this widely debated subject. Frank J. Sorauf provides balanced and informative commentary on such critical issues in campaign financing as: - the growing problems of regulating American campaign finance under the post-Watergate legislation of 1974; - the forces that affect the supply of money available for campaigning, from economic conditions to the competitiveness of elections; - the increasing power of incumbent candidates in the two-way exchange between candidates and contributors; - political learning and the search for ways to avoid the laws on campaign finance; - the myths and realities about the role and influence of PACs; - the vanishing funds for public funding of the presidential campaigns; - the new middlemen and brokers (e.g., the case of Charles Keating); - the major options for reform: private versus public funding; - the political deadlock over reform: parties, public opinion, and the interests of incumbents; - the possibility of new levels of competition and spending in 1992. Sorauf argues that the American system of campaign financing has become increasingly stable and institutionalized during the last sixteen years, and that the major players in the system--PACs, individual fund-raisers, party committees, and incumbent candidates--now behave in fairly predictable ways. His book is a fresh and persuasive account of the importance and the limits of money as a base of political influence in the United States.

Author : David B. Magleby,Kelly D. Patterson
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2015-12-03
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781317263340

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Battle for Congress by David B. Magleby,Kelly D. Patterson Pdf

Just in time for the coming election year, this book looks at the changing of the guard in 2006 and speculates on where the system may be heading in 2008. It provides an in-depth examination of the ways in which candidates, interest groups, and parties perceived their opportunities and allocated their campaign resources during the midterm elections. The role of money, which was influenced by campaign finance reform, is a special focus in this book. The theme of political scandal has frequently raised concerns that Republican leadership had become a "culture of corruption" that had flourished under their watch, which is also addressed in this book. The war in Iraq, however, may be the most important factor-not only in the 2006 battle for Congress, but for the 2008 battle for the White House as well.

Author : Timothy K. Kuhner,Eugene D. Mazo
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 505 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2018-11-29
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781107177635

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Democracy by the People by Timothy K. Kuhner,Eugene D. Mazo Pdf

Introduces citizens to solutions for reforming the American campaign finance system.

Author : Robert G Boatright
Publisher : University of Michigan Press
Page : 276 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2011-03-03
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780472051441

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Interest Groups and Campaign Finance Reform in the United States and Canada by Robert G Boatright Pdf

Interest groups shape tactics in response to restrictions on campaign activities

Author : Gerald C. Lubenow
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2001
Category : Law
ISBN : 0742517950

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A User's Guide to Campaign Finance Reform by Gerald C. Lubenow Pdf

Is campaign finance reform dead or alive? Can Congress really fix the problems that American voters perceive in their electoral system? This book assumes that voters are the end users of campaign finance reform, and it questions whether average citizens really know what they are asking for or what they may get when they demand change. In this book, ten prominent political scientists and commentators challenge the conventional wisdom about the role of money in campaigns and elections. They look at the level of campaign spending in recent times, the judicial perspective on spending as a First Amendment right, the current diversity of donors, the media spin on the subject, and the act of contributing as a form of political participation. The inimitable Norm Ornstein wraps it all up with a model reform proposal that is at once more moderate than McCain-Feingold and yet radical in its own way. Published under the auspices of Berkeley Public Policy Press."

Author : Frank Joseph Sorauf
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 274 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 1992
Category : POLITICAL SCIENCE
ISBN : 030015755X

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Inside Campaign Finance by Frank Joseph Sorauf Pdf

Author : Rodney A. Smith
Publisher : LSU Press
Page : 210 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2006-05-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780807131282

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Money, Power, and Elections by Rodney A. Smith Pdf

Have campaign finance reform laws actually worked? Is money less influential in electing candidates today than it was thirty years ago when legislation was first enacted? Absolutely not, argues Rodney A. Smith in this passionately written, fact-filled, and provocative book. According to Smith, the laws have had exactly the opposite of their intended effect. They have increased the likelihood that incumbents in the House and Senate will be reelected, and they have greatly diminished the chances that candidates who are not wealthy will be elected. Smith's claims are supported by convincing data; he collected and analyzed information about all federal elections since 1920. These data show clearly that money matters now more than ever. Smith thinks that reform legislation has created a new inequality for candidates that, if left unchecked, threatens to destroy the American electoral process by obliterating the foundational principle of free speech. He argues that "money buys speech" and when candidates lack money to buy media time and space they are effectively silenced. Their inability to "speak freely" violates the most significant intentions of our nation's founders: that a sovereign citizenry elect its own leaders based on a free exchange of ideas. For Smith, campaign finance reform has unwittingly unbalanced the checks and balances created by the Framers of the Constitution. After presenting a detailed historical overview of how we have reached the present crisis, Smith proposes a simple solution: institute a process that completely discloses relevant information about campaign donors and recipients of donations. All disclosures would be available to the media, which would be able to investigate and report them fully. Only then, Smith believes, will the United States have the opportunity to be the democratic republic that its founders intended.

Author : Rodney A. Smith
Publisher : LSU Press
Page : 217 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2014-04-07
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780807156315

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Money, Power, and Elections by Rodney A. Smith Pdf

Have campaign finance reform laws actually worked? Is money less influential in electing candidates today than it was thirty years ago when legislation was first enacted? Absolutely not, argues Rodney A. Smith in this passionately written, fact-filled, and provocative book. According to Smith, the laws have had exactly the opposite of their intended effect. They have increased the likelihood that incumbents in the House and Senate will be reelected, and they have greatly diminished the chances that candidates who are not wealthy will be elected. Smith's claims are supported by convincing data; he collected and analyzed information about all federal elections since 1920. These data show clearly that money matters now more than ever. Smith thinks that reform legislation has created a new inequality for candidates that, if left unchecked, threatens to destroy the American electoral process by obliterating the foundational principle of free speech. He argues that "money buys speech" and when candidates lack money to buy media time and space they are effectively silenced. Their inability to "speak freely" violates the most significant intentions of our nation's founders: that a sovereign citizenry elect its own leaders based on a free exchange of ideas. For Smith, campaign finance reform has unwittingly unbalanced the checks and balances created by the Framers of the Constitution. After presenting a detailed historical overview of how we have reached the present crisis, Smith proposes a simple solution: institute a process that completely discloses relevant information about campaign donors and recipients of donations. All disclosures would be available to the media, which would be able to investigate and report them fully. Only then, Smith believes, will the United States have the opportunity to be the democratic republic that its founders intended.

Author : Louise I. Gerdes
Publisher : Greenhaven Publishing LLC
Page : 113 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2014-05-20
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
ISBN : 9780737768640

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Super PACs by Louise I. Gerdes Pdf

The passage of Citizens United by the Supreme Court in 2010 sparked a renewed debate about campaign spending by large political action committees, or Super PACs. Its ruling said that it is okay for corporations and labor unions to spend as much as they want in advertising and other methods to convince people to vote for or against a candidate. This book provides a wide range of opinions on the issue. Includes primary and secondary sources from a variety of perspectives; eyewitnesses, scientific journals, government officials, and many others.

Author : Darrell M. West
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Campaign funds
ISBN : 1555534414

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Checkbook Democracy by Darrell M. West Pdf

Counts are being taken before the political conventions convene: not delegates, but dollars. Public officials court donors more than voters, while the party faithful rally around the war chest rather than the platform. Virtually anything goes in campaign finance today, and, as a result, the electoral process is being hijacked by large contributions, secret influence, and increasingly unaccountable government leaders. In this lively and provocative book, Darrell M. West looks at how politics became such a money chase, why money has become such a pernicious influence on public debate, and what can be done to redeem the corrupted system. Drawing on interviews, memoirs, press coverage, legal depositions, and government documents, West's timely book investigates recent examples of campaign abuses to illustrate how political parties and organizations circumvent post-Watergate reform legislation -- and how money has become the key to winning elections and influencing the public. Included in his probe are such cases as the infamous Willie Horton ad in the 1988 presidential campaign, the Christian Action Network, Asian contributions to the Democrats, tobacco company donations to the Republicans, and President Clinton's 1996 campaign infractions. The numerous case studies expose the manifold loopholes and problems in current campaign finance laws, including soft money contributions, independent expenditures, issue advocacy, foreign contributions, and political activism by non-profit organizations. West's sober evaluation of the exploding costs of campaigns -- and escalating cynicism among voters -- offers a hard-hitting look at the forces working against reform and makes constructiveproposals for reversing this disconcerting trend in contemporary American politics.

Author : David C.W. Parker
Publisher : CQ Press
Page : 244 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 2014-10-10
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781483368658

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Battle for the Big Sky by David C.W. Parker Pdf

Battle for the Big Sky delves into one of the few competitive races of the 2012 election: the US Senate campaign in Montana. Author David C.W. Parker was granted exceptional access by both candidates over the 21 months preceding the election, allowing him to tell the story of the race in rare and fascinating detail, while also exploring the impact of Citizens United and so-called "dark money" on the campaign. The Montana setting offers readers a view into the rising political influence of the West, the importance of "place" in politics, and the impact of congressional styles and constituent relationships on campaigns and elections. Parker skillfully weaves political analysis into his narrative and places the race in the broader context of congressional elections and the research literature.

Author : Diana Dwyre,Robin Kolodny
Publisher : University of Michigan Press
Page : 392 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2024-07-23
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780472904532

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The Fundamentals of Campaign Finance in the U.S. by Diana Dwyre,Robin Kolodny Pdf

Before the U.S. campaign finance system can be fixed, we first have to understand why it has developed into the system as it exists today. The nature of democracy itself, the American capitalist economic system, the content of the U.S. Constitution and how it is interpreted, the structure of our governmental institutions, the competition for governmental power, and the behavior of campaign finance actors have all played a role in shaping the system. The Fundamentals of Campaign Finance in the U.S. takes care to situate the campaign finance system in the context of the broader U.S. political and economic system. Dwyre and Kolodny offer readers a brief tour through the development of the campaign finance regulatory structure, highlighting the Supreme Court’s commitment to free speech over political equality from Buckley v. Valeo (1976) through the passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA, 2002). They also examine the driving force behind campaign finance reform—corruption—through historical, transactional, and institutional perspectives. While diving into the insufficiency of the disclosure and enforcement of campaign finance laws and calling attention to multiple federal agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, and (principally) the Federal Election Commission, the authors show how a narrow view on campaign finance makes change difficult and why reforms often have limited success. By examining the fundamentals, Dwyre and Kolodny show the difficulties of changing a political system whose candidates have always relied on private funding of campaigns to one that guarantees free speech rights while minimizing concerns of corruption.

Author : Robert E. Mutch
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2016-07-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780190274719

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Campaign Finance by Robert E. Mutch Pdf

In 2015, well over half of the money contributed to the presidential race came from roughly 350 families. The 100 biggest donors gave as much as 2 million small donors combined. Can we still say we live in a democracy if a few hundred rich families provide a disproportionate shares of campaign funds? Congress and the courts are divided on that question, with conservatives saying yes and liberals saying no. The debate is about the most fundamental of political questions: how we define democracy and how we want our democracy to work. The debate may ultimately be about political theory, but in practice it is conducted in terms of laws, regulations, and court decisions about super PACs, 527s, 501(c)(4)s, dark money, small donors, public funding, corporate contributions, the Federal Election Commission, and the IRS. Campaign Finance: What Everyone Needs to Know® explains those laws, regulations, and Supreme Court decisions, from Buckley v. Valeo to Citizens United, asking how they fit into the larger discussion about how we want our democracy to work.

Author : Melvin I. Urofsky
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
Page : 255 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2020-10-23
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780700629886

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The Campaign Finance Cases by Melvin I. Urofsky Pdf

Rarely does the Supreme Court reverse itself as quickly and profoundly as it did in recent campaign finance cases, with the Citizens United decision of 2010 undoing the constraints of the McCain-Feingold Act upheld in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (2003). And rarely have the stakes seemed so high, as billionaires vie for elected office and dark money floods political campaigns. In timely fashion, this new edition updates Melvin Urofsky’s classic study of campaign finance law, bringing his cogent analysis of the relevant statutes and court cases up to date. Urofsky explains in clear and convincing language what was—and is—at stake in the twists and turns of campaign finance laws taken up by the nation’s highest court in the past decades. Beginning with Buckley v. Valeo (1976) and moving through McConnell, Citizens United, and finally McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission (2014), Urofsky discusses the two principles at issue in these cases: freedom of political speech, and the protection of the political process from undue influence. Conventional wisdom holds that in such cases liberals want greater restrictions and conservatives want corporations to have greater freedom to influence voters. But working from a rich store of primary sources, probing the motivations and ideas of all participants in the campaign finance legal story, Urofsky reveals a far more complex picture, one whose significance transcends simple political ideologies. In a time of controversies over political speech in the blogosphere, social media, and cable news, and claims of electoral fraud, The Campaign Finance Cases offers a much-needed, balanced account of how issues critical to American democracy figure in the adjudication of campaign finance law, and how a changing political and media landscape might alter the process.