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November 05, 2002

Why McCain-Feingold Will Make Things Worse

Aside from voters, today is an important date for fundraisers as well. It's the last day the national party committees can raise unlimited soft money. So party officials are working with supporting groups to create legal alternatives.

And it's clear McCain-Feingold won't make a difference. In fact, by encouraging the money to go into less visible non-party committees, it will likely make accountability worse. Unions and most Democratic soft money groups have to register their donations, but Republicans are finding all sorts of ways to hide their support from wealthy donations. As the Washington Post details:

A Republican group called the Leadership Forum, run by two prominent GOP lobbyists, has already registered with the Internal Revenue Service, and officials at the National Republican Senatorial Committee say they are helping form soft-money committees that under tax law will not have to disclose who gives money or how the money is spent...Most Republican strategists are creating groups that are not required to disclose the sources of money or how it is spent. "That's a no-brainer. Most donors don't want their names in the paper," said one Republican.

A reminder, if it isn't public financing, it's not reform. Period.

Posted by Nathan at November 5, 2002 02:16 PM

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