Hard money is money donated to the candidate, correct? It's limited in amount on a per person basis, to an amount that wouldn't buy you a 10 second spot. Besides what if I don't want to donate to any candidate, but do wish to oppose (or praise) one or more of them, or merely educate the public to their stance on a particular issue? That I cannot do under the law. Political speech is restricted at the very times it would be most effective, especially in a representative government such as ours, where the electorate has, by design, no direct input into "public policy" matters, but can only influence the government through it's election of public officials.