NY Times: Dark Money Won Senate For Republicans
Untraceable special interest money is what won the U.S. Senate for Republicans.
The next Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has long been the most [su_thin_right_skyscraper_ad]prominent advocate for unlimited secret campaign spending in Washington, under the phony banner of free speech. His own campaign benefited from $23 million in unlimited spending from independent groups like the National Rifle Association, the National Association of Realtors and the National Federation of Independent Business.
The single biggest outside spender on his behalf was a so-called social welfare group calling itself the Kentucky Opportunity Coalition, which spent $7.6 million on attack ads against his opponent, Alison Lundergan Grimes. It ran more ads in Kentucky than any other group, aside from the two campaigns.
What is its social welfare purpose, besides re-electing Mr. McConnell? It has none. Who gave that money? It could have been anyone who wants to be a political player but lacks the courage to do so openly — possibly coal interests, retailers opposed to the minimum wage, defense contractors, but there’s no way for the public to know…
In Colorado, at least $18 million in dark money was spent on behalf of Cory Gardner, the Republican newly elected to the Senate; $4 million was spent on behalf of Senator Mark Udall, the Democratic incumbent. In North Carolina, $13.7 million in secret donations was spent for Thom Tillis, the new Republican senator; $2.6 million went to Senator Kay Hagan, who was ousted.
Dark money wasn’t the only type of spending that polluted the cycle; this year there were 94 “super PACs” set up for individual candidates, all of which are attempts to bypass federal limits and allow big givers to support the candidates of their choice. [su_center_ad]
anothertoothpick November 9th, 2014 at 1:26 pm
Why bother with the voting part of democracy?
Wouldn’t it be a lot easier and cheaper to just put these political positions up for auction?
bahlers November 9th, 2014 at 4:40 pm
But we don’t truly have a democracy, we have a republic. Unless we abolish the electoral college we will never have a national democracy.
rg9rts November 10th, 2014 at 10:26 am
three chances
1 Fat
2 Slim
3 No
Jake November 9th, 2014 at 2:02 pm
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the U.S. has the best politicians money can buy.
burqa November 9th, 2014 at 4:22 pm
OP: “NY Times: Dark Money Won Senate For Republicans”
Not according to former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown:
http://www.alan.com/2014/11/09/former-sf-mayor-willie-brown-hillary-will-lose-unless/
I agree with both, but lean more to what Brown said. We make a mistake when we try to simplify something like this to just one thing. That said, I think the major reason many Democrats lost was they ran lousy campaigns. They were put on the defensive and being linked to Obama reminded me of the election back in the 70s where an actor was onne of the candidates.
The opponent of the actor won the election, largely on the back of ads where the winner said, “My opponent is an avowed thespian.”
If Democrats continue to run scared and have spines of Jell-O, we will see Obamacare repealed and be back at square one, with more years of debate before anything is done. Meanwhile, millions of Americans will suffer because they didn’t have or lost their health insurance and the fault of that will be on cowardly Democrats who went flaccid when they needed to stand up.
daveinboca November 9th, 2014 at 5:33 pm
Steyer and other degenerates on the Left go unmentioned in the tabloid Times mindless muttering.
OldLefty November 9th, 2014 at 5:54 pm
That’s because they did not have as much money and did write the law for dark money like the right wing degenerates.
Candide Thirtythree November 10th, 2014 at 8:55 am
We already know that republicans bought those elections, there are so few republicans that there is no way they ever win in a free and fair election so that means we do not have free and fair elections.
rg9rts November 10th, 2014 at 10:24 am
Dark money my a$$ ….it was the people that couldn’t be bothered to vote close to 70% of the electorate that landed us in this mess…..and we deserve it. from ACA to the environment and so on we will dearly pay over the next two years.