A Voters Guide – 10 Facts about campaign finance
8. Advertising Accountability
Another unintended consequence of campaign finance reform has been the spread of non-campaign associated political commercials. These ads ran by PACs or other interests groups tend to be the worst of smear politics and sensationalism. Because the legal wall that exists between campaign financing and associations’ political expenditures, PACs are used as independent groups to spend money on campaign advertising or on issues related to campaigns. A convenient wall of denial is also erected, where allies of a campaign can engage in mudslinging and character attacks while the candidate remains free to condemn such dirty tactics.
If corporations were allowed to donate directly to campaigns PACs would not be prominent players in elections. In such a case, campaign advertising would more often be directly from the campaign, eliminating their ability to hide behind another entity’s words.
