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?
