Write 2 newspaper headlines for the following events – you must use the vocab words!

1. John McCain won the Republican nomination in 2008.(primary election, party base)

2. Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008.(general election, winner-take-all)

Bell ringer

Campaign FinanceElections & Campaigns

Today we will …

Objectives

Identify ways candidates can finance their campaigns, using hard money & soft money.

Explain when reforms occurred over time and their effects.

Agenda

Campaign finance reform slides/notes/vocab

10.5 – Reading Questions

Closure HW: Read 10.4

Campaigning & write a candidate’s email/letter home

Read 10.4 Campaigning Write a email/letter home as if you are a

presidential candidate Use the vocab words listed for 10.4:

Presidential election Term limits Stump speech Polling place Battleground states Electoral vote

Homework – 10.4

The Real Cost of a Presidential Campaign: Presidential Prices - Bloomberg

Tug of War special interests vs.

reform

The First Amendment -1790

1870 15th Amendment African-Americans get the vote

1913 17th Amendment Popular election of Senators.

1920 19th Amendment Women get the vote 1971 26th Amendment 18 and older get the

vote 1993 Motor Voter Act Makes registering to

vote easier

Number of voters expanded

Political contributions ($) that are regulated by law – specifically contributions that fall within the contribution limits and source requirements.

Given directly to a candidate. Its name is ironic to some because of how

“hard” it is to raise these funds.

“Hard Money”

1939 Hatch Act Congress prohibited contributions to federal

candidates from federal workers and contractors & limited individual contributions to $5,000 per year.

1947 Taft-Hartley Act Permanent ban on contributions to federal

candidates from unions, corporations, and interstate banks.

The Early Years

Who is winning the tug of war?

Special Interests or Reformers?

1971 Revenue Act Established the public financing system for

qualifying presidential candidates. Paid for by the voluntary $1.00 check off on

income tax forms.

1971 Federal Elections Campaign Act (FECA)

Required full and timely disclosures, limited some contributions, capped spending, and permitted unions and corporations to form PACs.

Leading to Watergate

POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PACs) Most PAC’s are politically active groups run

by corporations, labor unions, membership organizations or trade associations.

Political contributions made to these PACs must be from their members.

May be used to pay for candidate ads (“independent ads”)

PACs

Who is winning the tug of war?

Special Interests or Reformers?

Fred Wertheimer in NYTimes Video: The Cost of Campaigns | Democracy21Democracy21

1974 Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) After the Nixon Watergate scandal Congress

created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act provisions. $1,000 individual contribution limit $5,000 PAC contribution limit

After Watergate

Who is winning the tug of war?

Special Interests or Reformers?

1979 FECA Amendments- Package of amendments to the election campaign act allows the use of donations to political parties rather than candidates

Challenges to FECA

LOOPHOLE!

Any political contribution that is not regulated by law.

These funds are supposed to be limited to party building activities & “get out the vote” drives, but some of this money still finds its way into areas where contributions should be regulated (ex: Ads for the election or defeat of a candidate).

“Soft Money”

Who is winning the tug of war?

Special Interests or Reformers?

2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act Sponsored by Senators Russell Feingold (D-

WI) & John McCain (R-AZ). No more unregulated contributions (soft

money) to national political parties. Defined political ads as "electioneering

communications" & said these ads could NOT be paid for by a corporation or unincorporated entity (aka PAC) using any corporate or union funds.

McCain-Feingold Law (BCRA)

2003 Supreme Court Upholds BCRA McConnell v FEC The decision preserved the soft money ban

and restrictions on political ads, which were the most significant parts of BCRA.

 

BCRA is upheld.

Who is winning the tug of war?

Special Interests or Reformers?

2010 Citizens United v. FEC The ruling allowed corporations and unions to advocate for or

against candidates at any time.

The 5-to-4 decision said of the First Amendment’s most basic free speech principle — that the government has no business regulating political speech.

Corporations & unions have 1st Amendment right to free speech, just like people do.

American Crossroads - American Crossroads Restore Our Future

BCRA is dismantled.

The Super PAC is born.

Super PACs may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals, then spend unlimited sums to advocate for or against political candidates.

Super PACs must report their donors to the FEC on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Super PACs cannot donate money directly to political candidates.

http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/epwg6t/stephen-files-super-pac-request

No limits on spending!

Issue Ads - free of most regulation

Who won the tug of war?Special Interests or Reformers?

10.5 - Reading Groups

Read 10.5 together and discuss/answer the questions about financing election campaigns.

Closure

Do you think that limiting campaign contributions from companies, industries, and labor unions infringes upon 1st Amendment freedom of speech?