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Written by Corey Goldstone
“Republicans are in favor of disclosure,” Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in 2000 on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” when asked his opinion on campaign spending.
Other GOP leaders, including Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) have expressed support for transparency; saying in 2007- “We ought to have full disclosure… I think that sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
During the GOP primary season, Mitt Romney told MSNBC that he thought we should “just get rid of these Super PACs.”
Now that it is clear as day who the majority of Super PACs are throwing their support behind, ‘good government’ discourse from the GOP has mysteriously run dry…
In 2010, the DISCLOSE (Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections) Act was one vote away from the 60 needed to avoid a Republican filibuster. It died in the Senate.
A new and improved version of this bill was drafted in June, which would require groups making “independent expenditures” to file disclosure reports with the FEC that detail:
- Who the covered organization is and how much they are spending.
- Which election and candidate the spending will pertain to.
- A certification by the head of the organization that the disbursement was not coordinated.
This bill would have provided much-needed transparency to campaigns and help investors and consumers hold the leaders of corporations accountable for political spending. However, in order to reach 60 votes, DISCLOSE’s sponsors have had to water down many of the bill’s crucial elements. Among the losses is the ‘Stand by Your Ad’ provision, which would require political ads to mention who paid for them, forcing big money groups to think twice before airing an attack ad.
People who benefit from the current pay-to-play system can thank McConnell, whose reversal on transparency has been a major obstacle to DISCLOSE. The Romney campaign announced that it and the RNC had raised a staggering $106 million last month, compared to $71 million for Obama.
GOP leaders have talked the talk, by trumpeting transparency, sunshine and accountability. But do they have the courage to walk the walk?
To date, zero Republicans have signed on.
Corey Goldstone is a Syracuse Orangeman, braving the harsh winters to study American Political Science with a Concentration in Public Policy and the Legal System. He has volunteered for a local Obama reelection movement, interned for the Federal Affairs office of CSX, and worked for New York State constituents at Senator Charles Schumer’s CNY Office. His interest is in exposing the roadblocks to democracy that prevent everyday citizens from accessing electoral politics.
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DISCLOSE 2012: Avoiding Full Disclosure
