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Speak Out
What do you think about interest groups creating political ads?
No matter where you live right now, about the only thing that seems to be constant is the flood of campaign ads. In between innings of the World Series, viewers are bombarded by ads calling one candidate a liar, another a job-killer, and another the only hope we have to save the economy. During every commercial break of the local news, more and more ads are touting one candidate over a rival. And what is fueling this rush of ads in the final stretch of the midterm elections? Cash, lots and lots of cash, from interest groups from around the country.
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While political ads may be out of the spending reach of everyday citizens, one thing that can influence the government more than any ad is voting. This is granted to every American over 18 through the expansion of voting rights throughout U.S. history and through Supreme Court cases that ensured that one person counts as one vote.
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In January 2010, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that corporations, interest groups and virtually anyone with enough money to pay for and place a political ad can. Citing the First Amendment, the court ruled that the government has no business in regulating political speech. The case overturned the much-touted McCain-Feingold law, which banned “electioneering communications,” or political ads paid for by corporations or labor unions, from being broadcast 30 days before a primary election and 60 days before a general election.
And the fallout from the Citizens United case can be seen now; all you have to do is turn on your TV or open a web browser. The total cost of the 2010 campaign is over $3 billion, according to Open Secrets, a nonpartisan organization that tracks donations and campaign money. In the last week of the midterm elections, political interest groups have spent over $96 million in campaign ads, according to the Washington Post. Interest groups are organizations such as the National Rifle Association or the America’s Family First Action Fund. These groups have a political agenda and are sponsored by corporations and individuals alike. They can endorse candidates and pay for ads to try to get candidates they support into office.
Before the ruling, the only political ads seen in the days before the election were from the candidates and parties themselves. Now, any group can run an ad for or against a candidate up to Election Day.
Critics of the Supreme Court ruling, such as President Barack Obama, argue that big businesses and interest groups can take control of elections, defining the issues, and further squashing the role of the voter in the process. President Obama called the ruling “a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans.”
Those in favor of the ruling contend they are merely exercising their First Amendment right. Lawrence M. Noble, a lobbyist and former lawmaker, argues that because of the ruling, citizens will be able to contribute to organizations that they feel more aligned with instead of candidates’ campaigns and political parties, which they might not agree with 100 percent. The organization can then decide which candidates it endorses. This can influence candidates to address the issues that matter to their constituencies. “We have got a million we can spend advertising for you or against you – whichever one you want,” said Noble in a New York Times article.
The role of interest groups’ influence on elections is debatable. Some argue that they can decide an election by spending more on candidates they agree with and attacking those that they do not. Others point to the 2008 presidential election, where interest groups spent more money supporting John McCain than Obama, but Obama still won the election.
What do you think?
What do you think about interest groups paying for political ads? Do the ads influence whom you support? What about voters? How will the flood of ads affect how they view a candidate? Do you think that allowing interest groups to run ads further silences a person’s political voice or raises it? Join the discussion and let us know what you think!
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