Devils, dirty deeds, & dark money
During last November's general election, one of the most hotly contested
issues was California's Proposition 32, the so-called "Paycheck Protection"
initiative - which had nothing to do with protecting anything except the
ability of the wealthy to purchase elections.
Who was behind that proposal? Who
funded it? Even now, seven months later,
the Fair Political Practices Commission is still investigating the source of
$11 million of "dark money," or anonymous funding for that proposition. So far, we've learned that an Arizona group,
"Americans for Responsible Leadership," gave the $11 million to California's,
"Small Business Action Committee" to promote Proposition 32 and oppose Governor
Jerry Brown's counter-measure, Proposition 30.
But that money didn't originate with the "Americans for Responsible
Leadership" organization. No, they got it
from another Arizona group, the "Center to Protect Patient's Rights," who, in
turn, had received the money from the Virginia-based, "Americans for Job
Security." But that still doesn't tell
us who donated that money in the first place. The investigation continues. As an aside, I'd like to remind everybody that
these virtuous and righteous organization names on political ads like
"Americans for Job Security" are a bunch of bunkum. If a group of toxic polluters, war mongers,
scam artists, and narco-bankers ever wanted to promote a proposition, they
would probably call themselves, "Grandparents for the protection of puppies and
kittens."
Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court's "Citizens United" decision, the
wealthy, their corporations, and their lobbyists have been able to invest any
amount of money they want with political action committees and influence any
election, anonymously. Sometimes these
people are proud of what they are trying to accomplish, like billionaire casino
mogul, Sheldon Adelson and his wife, who spent a reported $150 million on
Republican candidates and PACs last year.
But when dirty deeds are afoot, these investors are not so proud and they
hide in the shadows of dark money. Unfortunately,
these are exactly the devils we voters need to know about. But can we?
Do California voters have the right to know who funds our propositions?
To help us voters pull the curtain of secrecy away from those dark money,
anonymous donors, our California Senate is currently considering SB 52, the
California Disclosure Act. This Act, if
passed, will require all political ads list the names of the three largest
donors sponsoring it. Whether person or
corporation, they will be listed on the ad for all to see. Simple.
Logical.
Money is consistently the most significant determinant for winning
elections, and last year, individuals, corporations, and organizations invested
$450 million trying to sway us California voters. I, for one, would like to know who is trying
to buy my vote, because knowing who, goes a long, long way towards figuring
out, why. Please, Google California SB
52, follow its progress, and pressure your state senators and assemblymen to make
sure it passes. We voters have the right
to know which devils are doing dirty deeds with dark money.
