[Winona Online Democracy]
If Minnesota has done anything about the activities of 527 groups, the
effort is invisible. The overall impact of 527 groups may be to give greater
authority to interest groups than to the parties as a whole, particularly
with respect to voters who are nonaffiliated or weakly affiliated with
parties. The most recent reports to the Internal Revenue Service, as
reported by the Campaign Finance Institute of George Washington University
(www.campaignfinanceinstitute.org, 202-969-8890), indicate that liberal and
Democratic bodies have raised far more money than have conservative and
Republican counterparts during the past year. (In overall fund-raising for
2006, Republicans still lead Democrats, but the gap seems to be closing
fairly rapidly.)
The West Virginia legislation is encouraging. If more states required
disclosure, people would be better able to interpret information they
receive. For that matter, if media were willing and able to report on the
political orientation of 527 groups' messages, campaigns might be more
enlightening in general.
Whether any reform legislation or media reporting will reduce the influence
of money in politics remains unknown. If money loses its effectiveness in
one stream, it will find another. In the 1960s, Jesse Unruh, the onetime
all-powerful speaker of the California lower house, remarked, "Money is the
mother's milk of politics." It is hard to deny the validity of his comment,
and it may not be wise to expect the millennium on the basis of reforms,
however well-intentioned.
Interesting reports on current consequences, many unanticipated, of the
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act may be found in The Election After Reform:
Money, Politics, and the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, published this year
by Rowman and Littlefield.
Roy Nasstrom
----- Original Message -----
From: "Craig Brooks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Does anyone know if Minnesota has any controls over these fund raising
groups?
for article and video -
http://www.governing.com/articles/5527.htm
************************************************
Title of article-
Chasing the Shadow
'527' groups are a mysterious but increasingly powerful force in American
elections. One state has cracked down on them; others are trying.
***
Craig Brooks
_______________________________________________
This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy
All messages must be signed by the senders actual name.
No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list.
To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit
http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona
Any problems or suggestions can be directed to
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact
page at
http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
_______________________________________________
This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy
All messages must be signed by the senders actual name.
No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list.
To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit
http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona
Any problems or suggestions can be directed to
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at
http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
