Money and Elections

1. Money and Elections Where the real control is!

2. Campaign Spending • Presidential Election • Obama spent over $500 million dollars • Senatorial Election • Average is just over $3 million per campaign • Congressional Election • Average is $1.43 million per campaign • Gubernatorial Election • Last CA election was $54 million to win • Most spending is on television advertising

3. Sources of Funding • Private and Public Sources • Small contributions • Less than $50, only 10% of voters contribute • Large donations from wealthy families • Candidate spending their own money • Various non-party groups • Political Action Committees (PAC)—political arm of special interest groups • Public funds from national and state treasuries • Why people, corporations, interest give • Form of political participation • Believe in the party or cause • Quid pro quo

4. Regulating Campaign Finance • Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 • FECA Amendments of 1974 & 1976 • Response to Watergate • Response to Buckley v. Valeo • Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 • Congress cannot regulate state and local elections

5. Federal Elections Commissions • Disclosure requirements • Anything larger than $200 must be disclosed • Limits on contributions • No more than $2000/candidate for primary and then for general elections • No more than $5000 to a PAC • No more than $25,000 to political party • No more than $95,000 total in a 2-year election cycle • PAC contributions • Limits on expenditures • Can only be voluntary due to Buckley v. Valeo, 1976 • Spending money is equated to free speech • Public funding of presidential campaigns

6. How can we fix this problem? • How do you feel about public financing of political campaigns? • In other words, should tax dollars pay for campaigns to allow poorer people to run and less influence from special interest? • Any other solutions, or is there even a problem?

7. Interest Groups • Role of Interest Groups • Groups of like-minded persons who join together to influence public policy at any level of gov’t • Pros—exercising 1st Amendment right to petition & assemble, people shaping policy, holds politicians accountable • Cons—those with the most money are those that get political influence, sometimes what’s good for the country is not good for some interest groups

8. Types of Interest Groups • Business Groups • National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) • Chamber of Commerce • National Restaurant Association • Labor Groups • AFL-CIO • UAW • UFW • Teamsters • YCTA

9. Interest Groups • Agricultural Groups • American Farm Bureau Federation • National Grange • National Dairy Council • American Meat Institute • Professional Groups • AMA • ABA • NEA

10. Interest Groups • Promoting Causes • ACLU • Sierra Club • National Rifle Association • National Wildlife Federation • Right-to-Life • Planned Parenthood • Promoting Welfare • NAACP • American Legion • VFW • Mexican American Legal Defense • AARP

11. Interest Groups • Religious Organizations • National Councils of Churches • National Catholic Welfare Council • Salvation Army • Public-Interest Groups • Common Cause • League of Women’s Voters • Cal-Pirg

12. Interest Groups • What Interests Groups Do! • Influence public opinion • Propaganda—what you are going to do tomorrow • Influencing parties and elections • Make a list of interest groups that you think support each party • Lobbying—gaining influence with politicians through contributions or promise of votes or promise of retribution