A recent op-ed in the New York Times explained what happened in the midterm elections from the perspective of campaign finances. The health insurance industry contributed $86.2 million to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to fight the health care reform bill. For midterm elections, the same organization raised $33 million given to Republicans who have vowed to repeal the health care law.
"And that's the problem with secret political donations, which played such a large role in the elections.... They cast a shadow of doubt and distrust over a huge field, raising questions about who is covertly pushing which bill and supporting which candidate, and for which self-serving purposes."
Secret donors pledged at least $138 million in the midterms, 80 percent of that to Republican candidates. No wonder Republicans don't want the Disclose Act passed.
Disclose Act
The House passed the Disclose Act in 2010 but it failed to overcome a Senate filibuster by one vote. The Disclose Act would have provided an answer to the Supreme Court ruling in January regarding businesses and limitless campaign spending.
Just one lone Senator could have voted for cloture on the bill which would have provided for any company who pays for campaign ad to be disclosed. As the law reads now, political organizations only have to disclose how much money was donated to them not from whom.
The Los Angeles Times reports Republicans were firmly against the Disclose Act, saying Democrats were trying to "rig the system." Part of the Disclose Act would have banned foreign corporations from donating to U.S. campaigns.
Pledge to America
The Republicans stated in their Pledge to America, and in the weekly radio address before the election, they wanted more openness in Congress.
Republicans pledged to "make Congress more open and transparent" in their Pledge to America. Jim Boehner said, "Bills should be written by legislators in committee in plain public view, not...behind closed doors."
The Constitution of the United States limits the office of President to "a natural born Citizen" of the United States. Yet as our campaign finance law stands now, companies like British Petroleum (BP) can influence our elections with unlimited donations to campaigns.
The clause in the Constitution was written to prevent a foreign power from covertly taking over the United States. But the truth is foreigners have already taken over the electoral process of the United States with unlimited campaign contributions. Britain's Guardian newspaper reported BP funded $240,000 worth of campaigns to Republican Senators including Jim DeMint of South Carolina and James Imhofe of Oklahoma.
Open and Shut
The GOP seems ready to be open on one end of the Democratic process but not the other. It is truly startling what the New York Times op-ed piece brings up. The newly-minted Republican class of 2010 is in for a rough ride. These "secret donations" from large corporations are the face of the very closed door policies of Nancy Pelosi the Republicans hated when she pushed through President Obama's agenda.
Boehner promised to reform Congress. The Republicans and the Tea Party promised to reform Congress and Washington. As long as secret money files into their campaign coffers in unlimited amounts, money will continue to favor Republicans even though they want more open government in Congress. The Democrats were ones trying to push through more open proceedings and trying to cut the flow of foreign money to the American election process.
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