Essay on The Debate Over Campaign Finance Regulations

Money is both the nectar and poison of the human race. This fact has never been more applicable than to modern politics. Nearly all assets to a candidate for political office, such a media advertisements, travel expenses and campaign supplies rely on fiscal support. In an age when electronic media rules supreme, money has never been more important. Today, it has become necessary for political campaigns to pour massive amounts of funding into television, Internet, radio and print ads in order to run a competitive campaign. These ads are the most prominent form of communication between a candidate and the sovereigns, and therefore, a candidate’s ability to use ads can not be inhibited. This correlation between money and politics has many†¦show more content†¦The deposit had to be completed before midnight, as the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) went into affect at midnight of April 7th (Smith 2). The FECA required political campaigns to report the source and amount of each donation. Following the Watergate incident, a movement in Congress called for campaign finance reform in an effort to subdue political corruption. This movement was inspired in part by the role of the Committee to Re-Elect the President, and in 1974 was amended with the passage of the Bi-Partisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) to form the Federal Election Commission (Smith 1,3). The FEC was tasked with overseeing campaign fundraising and enforcing the FECA, which was the first step toward full transparency and equality of political campaigns (FEC 1). Not only did the BCRA set limits on donations to political campaigns and organizations, but also required campaigns to report the source of major donations, as well as restricting the use of soft money (IGM 2, 107th Congress 47). These regulations are the most prominent form of protection held by the general populous from corporate domination of the electorate. When the United States Constitution was introduced in 1787, the concept s presented were not entirely new thoughts. It was the Roman Republic, which first introduced a representative government to the world. However, the Republic of Rome was plagued by aShow MoreRelatedPro Quo Corruption : Political Institutions And Agencies1685 Words   |  7 Pagesdifficult time to addressing campaign finance regulations; thus, exposing loopholes and flaws in the system. Some of these lawsuits have been brought to the courts to dispute campaign regulations on a basis of constitutionality, such as infringing on 1st and 14th Amendment rights. This unfortunately allows the Supreme Court and its jurisprudence to try and make decisions based on their own interpretations regarding campaign finance. The amount of money that is dumped into campaigns today is tremendous. TheRead MoreCampaign Finance Regulations1453 Words   |  6 PagesCampaign finance regulations have the potential to stifle free speech and impede the election process created for fair and efficient elections. These laws, which limit political spending, serves to limit speech by restricting the average citizen’s ability to both receive and deliver political messages. Laws that restrict spending on political campaigns not only dampen freedoms of speech but but have a counter affect on our democratic society. Regardless of which political side of the fence youRead MoreCons Of Political Campaign Financing1395 Words   |  6 PagesPolitical Campaign Financing Political campaign financing refers to all finances that have been raised and expended in order to promote political candidates, parties, and initiatives. According to a survey conducted in November 2018, when questioned â€Å"Do you know what political campaign financing is?† approximately 50% of respondents answered yes, 27% answered no and 23% answered that they had heard of it. The same survey relayed that only 4% of participants had positive views, 35% had negative viewsRead MoreCampaign Finance Reform Essay1544 Words   |  7 PagesCampaign Finance Reform The Democratic and Republican presidential nominees for 1999 raised an astounding 126 million to finance their campaigns in the primaries (Godfrey). The U.S. national political parties raised a record 107.2 million dollars in soft money contributions in 1999 (Campaign Finance Reform). During the 1995-96 elections, public citizens estimated that an astounding 150 million dollars was spent on phony issue ads designed to support or oppose congressional and presidentialRead MoreEssay on Campaign Finance Reform1003 Words   |  5 PagesCampaign Finance Reform The politics is a stage for many different characters of whom each is trying to convince their audience to give them the loudest cheer and the grand applause. Politicians who played the acts will do their best and sometimes will do everything to win the hearts of their audience and that means to win at all cost. Politics involves money for it is the way to make campaign possible that is why there are campaign managers and campaign funds to whoever will run for any officeRead MoreCampaign Finance Debate770 Words   |  4 Pages  General Information The debate about campaign finance reform is not a new problem but has a long history of change. The first major debate over campaign finance arose from Andrew Jackson’s spoils system. During Andrew Jackson’s 1828 term, he would give out positions in his office to those who supported him during the election. The practice would inadvertently lead to the assassination of President James Garfield and create the first law that placed a restraint on relationships between donorsRead MoreGetting Money Out Of Politics1037 Words   |  5 Pagesin politics could mean the difference between a family having food to eat, or passing legislation. It is the grease that greases the political machine. Thanks to modern technology, a candidate must raise a lot of money to be competitive in their campaign. Most of that funding goes to television, internet, and radio advertising which can decide the result of an election. Though money is crucial for a politician’s ability to get t heir message out to as many voters as possible, it has many unintendedRead More‘Despite Several Attempts to Regulate Campaign Finance, Money Increasingly Dominates the U.S. Electoral Process and Is the Main Factor Contributing to a Candidates Success’ Discuss1270 Words   |  6 Pages‘Despite several attempts to regulate campaign finance, money increasingly dominates the U.S. Electoral process and is the main factor contributing to a candidates success’ Discuss (30 marks) Despite its popularity, there is no serious evidence that campaign finance regulation has actually accomplished any of the goals set out for it by its supporters. Efforts to regulate campaign finance have been little short of disastrous. They have distorted the political process, hindered grassroots politicalRead MoreThe Federal Election Commission ( Fec )1594 Words   |  7 Pagesthat the power and sway of corporations have a corrupting influence on American democracy; even if deals aren’t made, the immense concentration of direct contributions from the wealthiest 1 percent of the population gives them an unusual influence over the political system. It is for this reason that almost every Democrat insists on the reversal of Citizens United. President Obama, in his 2010 State of the Union address, reprimanded the Supreme Court justices for their decision. The court, he statedRead MoreEssay on The Lonely Death of Public Campaign Financing1184 Words   |  5 PagesMarquette Un iversity’s Assistant Professor of Law, Richard Esenberg, is doubtful of the effectiveness of a project that will restructure campaign finance. He foresees the near impossibility of the passage of a bill, along with many drawbacks in similar attempts to miraculously restore democracy to American citizens. Although this is a greatly debated and doubtful topic, there is still hope in the power of the people. While there may be instances where wealthy donors provide a better democratic election