Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it buys votes

As we inch ever closer to the 2012 presidential elections, candidates are beginning to work out how they will financially support such an expensive endeavor.

The way political campaigns are funded is an ever-changing game. This complex system is often confusing, mostly due to the fact that campaign finance regulations are ridden with loopholes and back doors.

In order to make a more informed decision, it is important that each individual knows what groups or Political Action Committees (PACs) are funding their chosen candidate’s campaign.

This is imperative, because while Joe Plumber giving $20 out of his weekly paycheck is a huge part of contributing to the system, in actuality, it is multi-million-dollar special interest groups that throw out the cash to get a
candidate elected.

PACs are not exclusive to a single party or position. While some make very convincing arguments that the line between candidates and PACs has become increasingly thin, there are countless groups whose purpose is to advance the beliefs important to their members and donors.

One of the more notable PACs making contributions to the upcoming election is “Restore our Future,” which is led by three former aides to Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign.

According to their home page, “America is at a historical crossroads, yet President Obama has failed to devise real solutions or evoke meaningful actions to address the problems facing workers, job creators and the American financial
system.”

Restore Our Future raised more than $12 million during the first six months of 2011. That is more than any single Republican candidate, excluding
Romney.

Other leading conservative PACs include: “Citizens for a Working America,” which is run by a one-time Bachmann consultant; “Our Destiny PAC,” founded by an executive from the Huntsman Corporation; and “Make us Great Again,” started by Rick Perry’s former chief of staff.

The most notable Democratic PAC is “Priorities USA Action.” This group was founded by two former Obama aides and plans to focus its efforts on reelecting the president.
With so many different groups contributing large sums of money to ensuring their candidate gets elected, it is not difficult to understand why citizens must be knowledgeable about these dealings. You should really do your research to see if a group decides to contribute for some specific reason and what it could be.

Make sure that a PAC backing your candidate does not have conflicting views. Otherwise, you are essentially wasting your time and money.

While this article does not go into great detail, my hope is that people will begin to understand the intricate process of back-door dealings that plague the American electorate system. If everyone who decided to give to a political campaign had a true idea of how their candidate is elected, I am positive the outcome of many elections would be vastly different.

­— ogwise@indiana.edu