Corporations role in Politics

Super PACs (Political Action Committees) are made up of an independent private group who raise and spend money to elect their favored candidates and defeat those they oppose. These super PAC’s can raise and spend as much money as they like on advertising campaigns for their favored election candidates from television and radio ads to signs and billboards. These groups don’t just focus on donating moneys and funding advertising campaigns, they are also known to put out messages that the candidates themselves cannot control and are armed with pollsters, phone banks, direct mail and surrogate spinmeisters in an attempt to make direct contact with voters. According to the United States Supreme Court’s 2012 Citizens United ruling these independent third party men and women are have a “constitutional right to raise and spend as much as they choose on political Ads”; this ruling opened the door for corporations and wealthy men and women to now spend unlimited funds on political advertising, all under the guise of freedom of speech.  

Conservatives believes that super PAC’s can increase transparency and help even the playing field, which serve to ensure a stronger balance in elections between competitors. Super PAC’s also serve to inform voters; conservatives’ believes that the main focus of these Super PAC’s is one that’s at the heart of democracy, to spread information and arguments which voters may find helpful when it comes t casting their votes. Voters are free to choose whomever they feel is the best candidate because their votes are not influenced by these super PAC’s. They’re not being bribed to vote for any one candidate. Super PAC’s serve as a reminder of how corrupt the system of democracy really is; conservatives believe that “our democracy was sold to the highest bidder a long time ago” (Ari Berman, Huffington Post), and now due to the eighty percent of monies raised by donors, the public can now see the inequality that exist within our political system, which is good for democracy. These conservatives believe that their opponents are trying to silence any voice they view to be hostile to their views and that Super PAC’s affords them the right to freedom of political speech. conservatives believe that corporations should be given the same rights as the people when it comes to free speech. They believe that these corporations are people and should e given the same rights as people and that they should be able to spend however much they want on ads in support of their candidates. 

Liberals believe that big monies should have no place in politics; they believe giant corporations who own newspapers, television stations, and other media sources as well as those independently wealthy should be banned from using their monies and influence in ad campaigns. As a result of the Citizens United Act, opening the door for corporations and the wealthy to freely use their monies and influence on election campaigns, Liberals believe that if one of these candidates become elected the way they carry out business while in office as well as their perspective on issues can be greatly influenced by the personal views of their supporters which is not in the best interest of the people or best way to run a country and can greatly damage democracy. Even though wealthy citizens and corporations are barred from coordinating directly with their favored candidates, Liberals believe that as a result of corporations new found right to free speech and unlimited spending on political advertising, these men and women now have gained more freedom to launch their own personal attacks and lies against their opponents while at the same time providing deniability to their favored candidates.

Too often super PAC's use their money to negatively portray opponents of their views in a negative light. They hope to cast doubts in the people so that they’ll start questioning their candidates. Negative ad campaigns are geared towards creating a dent in the opponents’ popularity among the people and with the hopes of gaining the votes of those swing voters. It can also be used as a tactic to take the spotlight of their candidates and cast it on their opponent. The article Four ways super PAC’s are good for Democracy tells us that “Super PAC's inform voters”, that they provide information to voters they may find useful when it comes to casting their vote. I disagree, I think super PAC's try to influence voters with half truths and innuendo, they know that most Americans don’t have the time, and/or resources to verify the facts as well that most Americans will not take the time to research if what these ads are saying is fact, fiction or somewhere in between before forming their opinion. They believe that in order for their candidates to win that they somehow have to corrupt the system. They may not actively go out and bribe voters but they use the media, radios, billboards, etc to paint them in a negative light so voters start questioning their trustworthiness and believability. They muddle their opponent’s messages in an attempt to create doubt in their supporters. Since Apr 2, 2012, 97 different super PACs and other outside groups spent “$288,645,507 to oppose the Obama campaign” which is more than doubled what Obama supports spent ($87,188,919) in opposition of Romney. This is a tremendous amount of money, and it makes it very hard to believe that politicians are not biased or that their decision making is not influenced by their supporters’ personal agendas. I believe that everyone should have a voice when it comes to choosing who we want to rule our country, but I oppose corporations influencing elections and the way people vote. , this mudslinging taints the political process, so that our elected officials no longer work for the people but the corporations leaving the people immersed in a debate of truth versus the super PACs message.  I believe that the US Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling that corporations are people and as such has the right to raise and spend as much monies as they like on ads, has now limited citizens rights, making it harder for their voices to be heard, regular people don’t have the resources that corporations has which now makes it a lot tougher for their opinions and voices to be heard.

 FACTS:

·         “A total of 97 Super PACs and outside groups have spent $288,645,507 to oppose Obama since April 2, 2012” (Outside Spending Shapes 2012 Election)

·         “Super PACs inform voters” (4 ways super PACs are good for America) 

·      “Independent third parties have a constitutional right to raise and spend as much as they choose on political ads”.