Campaign Finance

Link: Rory Reid Queried In Possible Scheme To Circumvent Campaign Finance Laws
          Supreme Court Blocks Ban on Corporate Political Spending

Summary: Rory Reid, son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and a failed bid for the elections to senate representing Nevada, is being investigated for opening multiple contribution accounts to circumvent the campaign finance laws.

Relevance: Early in the year we covered elections to Congress and for the Presidency. More specifically about the limitations to the campaigns candidates can run. Campaigns have finance laws that prevent certain candidates from "buying" an election at the whim of large corporations or wealthy interest groups. The McCain-Feingold act specifically limited how much a candidate can receive from certain groups such as corporations, PACs, interest groups, 527 groups, and individuals. Although there are loopholes, elections need to be run in a fair manner, and in the United States, the people with the money win. We discussed how Social class, wealth, and the people you know can all give you upper hands against a middle class "average joe." However, recently after learning about the McCain-Feingold act, the Court overrule a major part of the bill. They blocked the ban on spending from corporations. Because of the First Amendment, companies can now spend as much as they please.

Opinion: Cheating your way into office is horrible. We elect candidates based on trust, and when ones scheme gets uncovered, it makes the public lose faith in the entire system. Campaign finance laws are in place for a reason, to protect the offices of the United States from corruption. When people try to circumvent these laws, they should never be allowed to run again, or should be removed from office if caught. Also, with the McCain-Feingold overruling, the democracy can now be bought. Although the Constitution guarantees free speech, this could really hurt elections as they can now effectively be bought. Candidates can be bought and used as puppets for the big corporations. It will most definitely be interesting to see how this places out in the next elections and the results from this ruling.