40% of Outside Campaign Money was Made Possible by Supreme Court Ruling

Saturday, November 06, 2010
Perhaps no other U.S. Supreme Court decision has had as much impact on an election in modern times as the Citizens United ruling did this year. The court case, which threw out longstanding limits on contributions by corporations and unions, helped produce 40% of all monies donated to campaigns in the now-concluded election cycle, according to the Sunlight Foundation.
 
The watchdog group says $126 million in campaign funds came from special interests that were able to give freely without disclosing their identity, thanks to Citizens United. Another $60 million in contributions was raised by groups without limitations, except that they did have to report the names of donors. Together, these two pools of campaign dollars totaled $186 million, or 40% of the $450 million spent by all outside groups for the 2010 election.
 
The Sunlight Foundation called this year’s campaign season “the costliest and least transparent midterm in recent history.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 
Court Ruling Opens Doors to Unlimited Campaign Donations (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)

Comments

Daniel R. Cobb 13 years ago
The Supreme Court's Citizen United decision is an attack on the validity and sancitity of our democracy. Ever since the Tillman Act of 1907, Congress and the Courts have understood the absolute necessity of banning or controlling corporate contributions to political campaigns. Now, corporations and ultra wealthy individuals can give unlimited funds to campaigns, and do so with complete secrecy. The Citizens United ruling should be called Citizens Obliterated because it substitutes corporations for people. The ruling was vile, insidious anti-American, and extreme. We must Pass the Disclose Act to reveal who these thugs are. As soon as we do, their donations will evaporate. Get Active! Help us pass the Disclose Act NOW! Join us on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Demand-Disclosure-Now/160485280650018

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