Posted on 05/03/2015 12:34:19 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Federal Election Commission chair Ann Ravel told the New York Times Sunday that she has “largely given up hope of reining in abuses in the 2016 presidential campaign.”
“The likelihood of the laws being enforced is slim,” she said. “I never want to give up, but I’m not under any illusions. People think the F.E.C. is dysfunctional. It’s worse than dysfunctional.”
This obviously reflects the deluge of spending since the Citizens United decision. But per the Times it is also indicative of the partisan split between the FEC board members, who continually deadlock in 3-3 votes. This leaves the commission ineffective against candidates, parties, and PACs that are rapidly adapting to the post Citizens United-landscape, with a greater blurring of the lines between PACs and campaigns, and candidates like Jeb Bush delaying their FEC filing to prolong the period of coordination with limitless Super PACs.
Not for nothing, but:
Republican members of the commission see no such crisis. They say they are comfortable with how things are working under the structure that gives each party three votes. No action at all, they say, is better than overly aggressive steps that could chill political speech.
“Congress set this place up to gridlock,” Lee E. Goodman, a Republican commissioner, said in an interview. “This agency is functioning as Congress intended. The democracy isn’t collapsing around us.”
Ravel said the Republican members were blocking enforcement of rules against conservative PACs like Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS. “What’s really going on, is that the Republican commissioners don’t want to enforce the law, except in the most obvious cases,” she said. “The rules aren’t being followed, and that’s destructive to the political process.”
The 2016 election is set to be the most expensive in history, with the Koch Brothers promising almost $1 billion in spending alone, and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton looking to raise over $2 billion.
[h/t New York Times]
-PJ
Interesting read - but why is there absolutely NO mention of Hillary Clinton’s shenanigans with her Clinton Foundation, but instead it’s about those dastardly Republicans on the committee who “don’t see a problem”????
You know why.
Sorry she is setting up a set-up.
Later down the line she will find she has balls/a spine and go after Republican “abuses”.
It’s all kabuki. She will be able to attack republicans for the democrats, under the guise of doing her job, growing a pair, and redeeming her current wimpy image.
Obama is as much to blame as Citizens United. The press conveniently forgets that Obama agreed to go with Federal financing of his campaign in 2008 if the Republican would. Previous presidential elections, since McCain Feingold was passed had involved federal funding and limitations on outside fundraising.
As soon as McCain, one the of authors of McCain Feingold finance reform, announced he would take federal funds and adhere to the limits. Obama announced he would not take federal funds. This permitted him to raise over $700 million while McCain was limited to much lower federal limits. Higher spending allowed Obama to operate a much more sophisticated ground game than McCain as well as outspend him on advertising. Many of Obama’s credit card contributions illegally came from offshore but the FEC would not investigate.
In 2012 Obama showed no interest in going back to federal funding and limits even though he and his allies were complaining constantly about Citizens United and the billionaires funding Republicans.
More hypocrisy from the left. The left is as much at fault for the current state of election financing, and the associated corruption as the right.
What should happen is complete transparency. Require that any gift to a candidate or PAC be posted on the internet at the moment the check is cashed. Provide the ability for a citizen to query a database by name and see how much individuals or groups are spending behind the candidate.
Another needed reform is to prohibit any non-profit organization receiving federal funds of any kind (grants, research studies, payment for services) from contributing to any political activity. Eliminate the flow of taxpayer money through non-profits to campaigns.
Lois Lerner knew how to run the FEC back in the 90s. She is why Dickie Turban Durbin is a senator.
That’s what happens when hacks like Lois Lerner use the F.E.C. as a political weapon.
more time for porn surfing on the public dime.
The massive fraud by Hillary will far eclipse anything we have ever seen.
That’s OK, let “free speech” reign.
I read the other day that the IRS is looking at Rove’s Crossroads GPS for possible violations of tax exempt status. If Rove’s group is found to have been in violation, the past three years’ of fundraising would be immediately be subject to a 35% tax liability. All of this year’s Crossroad GPS fundraising would need to be applied to tax payment!
Hopefully, this can keep Rove’s nose out of politics for a long time.
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