Demise of SuperPacs Greatly Exaggerated

In certain corners of the electorate, there is joy. The tidal wave of cash that threatened to sink the ship of democracy did not. The power of grassroots democracy—ordinary citizens making small donations to the candidates they supported, combined with a well-organized ground game—beat fat cat billionaires with money to burn. But the plain fact as we approach a new season of national politics is that the victory was only a partial one.

True, money alone couldn’t buy a presidency for Mitt Romney. But SuperPac America did accomplish, to a large degree, a big part of what it set out to do. It focused a huge number of voters on trivial issues, political gaffes, and misinformation, and by doing so, prevented a substantive discussion on issues that are truly critical to the United States and its citizens.

Keeping the focus on Barack Obama’s citizenship status, which is not in question, deflected attention from a real and meaningful dialogue about immigration reform. Erecting billboards in minority neighborhoods implying that they were centers of voter fraud—again a patently false claim—shifted the discussion toward the criminalization of these citizens, rather than toward how their communities might thrive.

And then there was the biggest misdirection of all. The candidate who made correcting the alleged economic mistakes of the past four years was allowed clear sailing to election day without revealing a single detail of how he might change the system. That Mitt Romney received so many votes without doing this is evidence of big money’s power to create a vortex of distraction that only pushes us deeper into the partisan mire. And by that measure, the SuperPacs won.      

Why Citizens United Means So Much Right Now

Posted on billboards in predominantly minority neighborhoods in the swing states of Ohio and Wisconsin, the ads were designed to do one thing—intimidate potential Democratic voters. The ads warned that voter fraud is a felony, punishable by imprisonment and fines. Of course, there had been no significant voter fraud in the neighborhoods where the ads were sited—or, in fact, anywhere in the United States. But to those who funded the ads, that particular truth didn’t matter.

After thousands of citizens signed a petition for the deletion of the message, Clear Channel, which owns the billboards, complied. But damage had already been done, and a mystery abides. Who paid for the ads? Clear Channel, whichis owned by Bain Capital and whose directors have donatedheavily to the Romney Campaign, isn’t telling. In fact, Clear Channel madean exception to its rule against advertiser anonymity to put the ads up in the first place.

Welcome to the Post-Citizens United World, where big money speaks loudly and often anonymously. And the money isn’t limited to swing states. In Vermont, a Super Pac called Vermonters First has hit the airwaves with ads opposing health care reform and backing Republican candidates at the state level. The name of the organization suggests a group of concerned citizens. But journalistic sleuthing has revealed that Vermonters First is essentially funded by one person—Lenore Broughton, who has pumped over $680,000 into the Super PAC. In a state as small as Vermont, that’s enough to swing an election—and maybe deny an entire state the right to health care.

More than any before, this election has shown just how ugly things can get when big, anonymous money becomes a dominant player. The political “dialogue” becomes dueling monologues of distorted information, half-truths, and outright lies. Is this any way to run a democracy?   

Welcome to BurztTV

The Supreme Court handed down its decision on the Citizens United case in January, 2010, and its specter has been rising up periodically, like the psycho in a B-grade slasher flick, ever since. Most recently, it has resulted in an attempt to buy the 2012 elections. Intent on protecting their financial interests, the wealthiest Americans have been shoveling cash into Republican Super PACs. It’s said that Vegas plutocrat Sheldon Adelson could drop over $100 million into the Romney Super PAC before it’s all over. And without Citizens United, this kind of pay-to-play democracy wouldn’t be possible.

Meanwhile, financial scandals roll in with the regularity of the tides: JP Morgan took an embarrassing hit. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is being slowly but surely connected to the Libor rate fixing scandal.  HSBC holdings is accused of cozying up to money launderers. And that’s just a small part of the wave. The Volcker Rule may be able to provide some relief from financial sector scamming. But it may well be a case of too little, too late. And even if Volcker does impact future malfeasance, the people responsible for the greater economic collapse remain as far from a jail cell as they ever were.

And then there’s health care. The Supreme Court has ruled the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) Constitutional, but the battle is only beginning. The health insurance industry will unleash a furious propaganda barrage against any parts that remain. It will also funnel Super PAC dollars toward Mitt Romney—and any other candidate who promises to euthanize the ACA. And the Republicans in the House, who have already voted unsuccessfully 31 times to repeal the act, will likely not give up—because their campaign cash flows depend upon their opposition.

In the end, it seems, it all comes down to cash. The monetary ties that bind our political and economic systems together have begun to grind democracy to bits—even under an administration promising change during the worst economic collapse in decades. And with Citizens United opening up the floodgates, the influence of money will only grow greater. If there’s hope for reform, it can only come from one place—an informed citizenry fed up with the pay-to-play system that’s rigged in favor of the rich and powerful.

That’s why we’ve created BurztTV. In the coming months, you’ll hear another side of the story, from entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, media personalities, policy experts, and more. We hope you’ll check out Burzt and join in the conversation by sending us your responses to our Burzts, your ideas for future segments, and your stories of people taking action to give the American political system back to the citizens who own it.