Yesterday the Senate failed to pass the "Disclose Act" which would have required all independent groups to disclose their donors when these groups produce political ads, as they are not just non-profit "social welfare" groups (as they claim) which are legally protected from disclosing their donors.
In order for the act to pass, it would have required a super majority 60 votes but it was filibustered by all Senate Republicans and thus all but killed.
Yes, "all but killed" at the time as the Democrats held a late night vigil highlighting the Republican obstructionism with Harry Reid, the Majority Leader then calling for another vote on the measure today. It too failed which was hardly unexpected.
Though the Senate Democrats "appeared" to take the high road in supporting "disclosure", legitimately accusing the Republicans of hypocrisy, as many of these Republicans had previously supported full disclosure of donors, many Democrats are also huge recipients of funds to their campaigns from deep pocketed donors (not always fully disclosed) so all Democrats should not be seen as "white knights in shining armor" coming to the rescue of "electoral transparency" and reform.
Of course, failure to pass the "Disclosure act" is just one part of the ongoing calamity stemming from SCOTUS ruling in "Citizens United" that has created the gusher of big bucks swamping the electoral process in favor of those individual and corporate high rollers. What about the foreign donors' largesse into the process and their remaining unknown and undisclosed?
Yet the bigger part in all this is big money completely eclipsing the electoral process for their own ends, crowding out campaign finance reform efforts and public funding of elections UNLESS "Citizens United" can be overturned by a Constitutional amendment getting big money out of the electoral process.
Until that happens, it's "democracy for sale" with auctions going to the highest bidders.
Comments
Click Here to View Comments or Join the Conversation