A variety of super PACs supporting congressional candidates and various political agendas sprouted in months before the 2010 congressional elections, soon after court rulings struck down previous fund-raising restrictions. They have continued to proliferate as candidates and their supporters prepare for the 2012 presidential and congressional elections. Campaign finance watchdogs say they are yet another example of how federal court decisions based on First Amendment speech rights are raising the stakes in America’s political money game.
“The new legal landscape is taking us closer to the wild, wild west in terms of how much money is going to be in the process,’’ said Michael Beckel, spokesman for the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. “It’s a very loud megaphone that corporations, unions, and wealthy individuals [now] have at their disposal.’’
Supporters of Romney and President Obama, as well as political operatives on both sides of the aisle, have started the groups as they prepare to spend money on TV and radio ads in a bid to influence election results.
“The importance and the magnitude of the role these super PACs will play in the 2012 elections cannot be overstated,’’ said Paul S. Ryan, an attorney at the Campaign Legal Center, which closely monitors campaign finance laws. “They have virtually no restrictions on the money they can raise.’’
One Supreme Court ruling last year - Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission - allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts to directly advocate for candidates. Several months later, a federal appeals court in Washington allowed - in SpeechNow.org v Federal Election Commission - unlimited contributions to political action committees. These new super PACs, however, cannot spend their money in coordination with the candidate’s campaign, although the candidate is permitted to help fill the coffers.
