Final Advocacy Project

Since the founding of the United States, the influence of money in politics has always been present. In the past, this threat was mostly in the form of direct campaign contributions to people running for public office. The ability to donate money is thought to be a constitutional right Americans have as money is considered to be a form of Free Speech protected by the First Amendment. These donations usually come in the form of donations to Political Action Committees, or PACs.

In the early 2000s, the senate initiated legislation in campaign financing that attempted to outlaw soft money or money that is not given to a specific candidate. This money under law did not face any restrictions. This piece of legislation outlawing soft money, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, was stricken down by the Supreme Court with the decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which found that a ban of soft money was a violation of the First Amendment.

Since then, Super PACs, or PACs who do not directly provide financial support to a specific candidate, have been created. Because these groups don’t give direct funds to individuals, they are not regulated like PACs. As a result, individuals, non-profit groups and corporations can donate unlimited funds to them.

While Super PACs have to disclose who their donors are, non-profit groups or 501(c)s do not. They often have the most donations from major political players whose money then goes indirectly to Super PACs. Thus, the public has no way of knowing or holding these individuals accountable.

Super PACs and nonprofit organizations’ contributions to elections lead to the silencing of the general public’s opinion on policy and heightens those of corporations and wealthy individuals. Since the ruling in Citizens United, it has been almost impossible for congress to pass meaningful Gun Control legislation, work on combating Climate Change, and help to lower drug prices for Americans due to the influence of corporate and special interests who donate absurd amounts of money to politicians. In order to get money out of politics and have the government work for the people, not just the elite, the public must be educated on the corruption occurring in Washington from the influence of money and how it relates to policy. In addition, Citizens United must be overturned and soft money must be banned once and for all.

One major issue facing our country and world is Climate Change. While almost all scientists and most Americans believe that humans play a role in contributing to the changing climate, a large majority of Republican congress members deny Global Warming and speculate that it is simply a hoax. While they try to credit this to faulty science, the reality is that most of these politicians receive large campaign contributions from energy companies that could lose millions of dollars if regulations were imposed on certain businesses and limitations were put on energy emissions. It is in these companies best interest to contribute to Super PACs in order to lessen the chance of Climate Change being legitimized and restrictions be put on their businesses.

A specific man in power who is extremely affected by contributions from corporations is Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma. Senator Inhofe is the majority member and chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee and he denies Climate Change. This means that any piece of legislation involving the environment must either be proposed or reviewed in his committee. Due to his beliefs on global warming, no proposal could legitimize climate change or work to combat the problem. While some may say that he could just hold that belief and have scientific evidence to back up his claims, the reality is that he has received over $2 million dollars in campaign contributions through Super PACs from major influencers in the oil and coal industries like Exxonmobil and Koch Industries according to Oil Change International. It cannot be overlooked that with the influence of money from these organizations, they have ultimately bought a politician who will work to stop any piece of legislation that could potentially hurt the energy industry.

If Citizens United is not overturned and major energy donors are able to buy more politicians like Senator Inhofe, the U.S. will not be able to combat Climate Change and partner with the world to make it healthier and safer for future generations.

Another issue that is directly impacted by influence from non-profit groups is Gun Control. After having many horrible acts of violence caused by guns, many politicians have proposed measures of Gun Control. But none of them have passed due to the influence the National Rifle Association has on congress.

Initially after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, the Legislative Branch tried to pass a piece of legislation that would require background checks when purchasing a gun at a gun show. 50 senators voted against it and of those 50, 48 had received major campaign contributions from the NRA. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the NRA contributed over $27 million dollars to those 48 members, with 9 individuals each receiving over $1 million from the group. One notable figure in particular is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has personally received over $1 million dollars from the NRA.

It can be harmful to politicians if they do not support gun rights. The NRA also uses its financial resources to take down members of congress who work against them through ads and other means.

While politicians will say that the reason they oppose any form of gun control is because of the Second Amendment, in reality, the power the NRA holds with its financial resources is too powerful to take on and could be political suicide. As a result, the interest of the public is not considered and the threat guns pose to Americans is not validated. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, over 70% of NRA members favor background checks along with 90% of Americans. While this may be true, their voices will not be heard by their representatives due to the influence the NRA holds in Washington. If Gun Control is ever going to be passed, the NRA must lose its ability to contribute insane amounts of money to politicians in exchange for their loyalty.

It seems to many Americans that not so long ago, prescription drugs did not cost as much as they do currently. Nowadays, people are spending close to $1,000 a year on prescription drugs as a result of the government’s inability to to bargain for lower drug prices. This decision is directly in the interest of pharmaceutical companies rather than the American public’s.

In the 2014 election cycle alone, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, pharmaceutical companies contributed over $32 million dollars in Super PACs to politicians who support this inability to negotiate for lower drug prices. Legislation that could possibly fix this issue must be created in either the Finance Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, or the Ways and Means Committee. Unfortunately, many members of these committees are directly supported by the companies with interests at stake so their interests are valued over the needs of middle-class families.

Senator Richard Burr, a member of the Finance Committee, has received the most from drug companies, with his donations totalling over $1 million dollars according to the Center for Responsive Politics. It’s no wonder that the Finance Committee has been unable to create effective legislation that would deal with lowering the price of prescription drugs. Its members, including Senator Burr, owe too much to the major drug companies to work effectively for their constituents. Without limiting the power drug companies have, the government will be unable to lower drug prices and lessen the burden on American families.

As illustrated above, soft money in the form of Super PACs or non-profits is extremely detrimental to the democratic process of the U.S. government. Special interests are valued above common consensus of Americans and those with money and power are gained more access to politicians than the average citizen. In order to stop this, awareness must be raised to the corruption shown above and in other areas as well. The need to raise insane amounts of money in order to be competitive in elections hurts a politician’s ability to work for their constituents. Once the general public knows more about the influence money has on politics, the focus can be shifted towards overturning the Citizens United decision and thus banning the use of soft money in campaigns, greatly alleviating the pressure politicians feel from corporate interests who contribute great amounts to them. If Citizens United remains intact, it will be almost impossible for effective measures on climate change, gun control, and lowering prices on prescription drugs to be taken.

Campaign Financing: Pro, Cons, and everything in between

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#citizensoverspecialinterests

Sources used and considered in final project

How much do college students know about Super PACs and those influenced by them?

Get Money Out of Politics

End Citizens United, Let All Americans Be Heard.

News sources that I trust

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