The Mystery of the ‘Disappearing’ Soft Money
All told, the top-contributing unions have put more than $185 million into 527s since 2004. While not the biggest chunk of money in the campaign finance picture, it represents far more than the estimated drop in union campaign contributions following BCRA’s ban on soft money.
During the health care town meetings, video journalists caught examples of people wearing union T-shirts attacking tea party activists. While these incidents seemed to happen infrequently, there is a more organized group, with serious Big Labor money behind it, planning to discredit the tea party movement.
From Fox News:
A new Web site targeting the tea parties is a part of a complex network of money flowing from the mountainous coffers of the country’s biggest labor unions and trickling slowly into political slush funds for Democratic activists.
Under the umbrella of a group called the “American Public Policy Center,” union money flows into seven 527s, all run by the same people, which in turn promote this new anti-tea party movement. Here’s how it works:
1. Between 2006 and 2010, unions contributed over $15.8 million to these 527s.
2. Unions gave Citizens for Progress (aka Patriot Majority West) over $1.7 million during the 2006 and 2008 election cycles. AFSCME heads their donor list, which includes SEIU, Teamsters, and the National Education Association, one of America’s two largest teachers’ unions.
3. Oklahoma Freedom Fund received $4.1 million from AFSCME and $25,000 from SEIU in 2008, and then gave $161,000 to Patriot Majority.
4. In 2008, Oklahoma Freedom Fund also gave $77,432 to Citizens for Progress.
5. The same year, Citizens for Progress gave $300,000 to Patriot Majority under the handle of “Patriot Majority West.”
6. In 2010, Citizens for Progress gave $25,000 to American Public Policy Center (APPC), and Patriot Majority chipped in $5,000.
7. With the $30,000 start-up money, APPC created a web site “to prevent the tea party’s dangerous ideas from gaining legislative traction.”
Other contributors to these 527s include the Democratic Governor’s Association and the Democratic Attorneys General Association. All told, these 527s received over $26 million since 2004.
Compared to the $2.4 billion spent on federal campaign contributions in 2008, this may not seem like much money. But considering that the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth raised $17 million in 2004 to attack John Kerry’s Vietnam war record, modest amounts, applied judiciously, can make a big impact.
But that’s not the end of the story.
First of all, Big Labor has always been the Democrats’ strongest supporter, giving 92% of all campaign contributions ($630.4 million) to Democratic candidates since 1990. So it should be no surprise that their 527 contributions support Democratic Party causes.
Perhaps most importantly, since 2004, over $888 million has flowed into 527s supporting what Open Secrets calls “Democrat/Liberal” or “Republican/Conservative” causes, and 75% of this ($666.3 million) went to the former.
Soft money didn’t die; it went to the Democrats’ 527 heaven, courtesy of the BCRA.
Once again, Democrats benefited from BCRA, because Big Labor, along with other Democrat organizations, could funnel funds into 527s free of federal restrictions. While BCRA was in force, Democrats had more and more Big Business money flowing directly into their campaign coffers, while Big Labor and special interest money worked behind the scenes to benefit Democratic Party causes.
No wonder they are promoting a constitutional amendment countering the recent Supreme Court decision striking down key parts of BCRA.
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. – Barack Obama
Except when the status quo works so well.
I don’t have anything against unions in principle. However, when a large portion of Government employees are unionized, I start having a problem. Why? Because the Government is essentially a monopoly, and now a unionized monopoly. Look at California, Greece, France, etc. and see what happens.
What I always knew would be the result of the bill. I knew the nature of the beasts who wrote it. It is nice to see it spelled out so clearly.
I have always viewed union involvement as getting paid for work done improperly or not done at all with no consequences. This is really not what we need more of in government.
Thank you Howard for another excellent analysis. It will be interesting to see if they can neutralize the Tea Party movement.
@Dan:
“It will be interesting to see if they can neutralize the Tea Party movement.”
Do you mean the original grass roots “Tea Party” begun by disgruntled folks tired of the Left/Right false paradigm, or the Mass Media spun version after it was hi-jacked?
Need any more be said ?
We’re having an outdoor ceremony and a tented reception. The banquet facility has reception chairs for use but they are maroon and our colors are green, brown and gold. I looked into getting chair covers but they are ridiculously expensive to rent or buy.
I did find the simple folding white chairs that I love and I think look amazing with the whole outdoor/garden tea party thing we are going for. However, the weight capacity is roughly 200 lbs and some of the groom’s family are heavyset..around 300-400 I’d imagine.
I really love the chairs but I would feel terrible if someone broke a chair by sitting on it or if they were uncomfortable with their weight on them.
Should I give up the chairs? Any brides out there use the wooden folding chairs with heavier guests? Any other suggestions?