BACKGROUND
In the world of
politics, money rules. Candidates need donations and a substantial amount of
money to pay for advertising, equipment, office space, paraphernalia, staff and
the expenses of running for office. There are many ways to raise money …
individual voters and organizations have a strong interest in seeing a candidate
whom they support win an election. Although individual contributions are
important, for most politicians, serious money-raising involves PACs and special
interests.
Special
interests is a general term for any group that wishes to influence the course of
elections or the actions of elected leaders once they are in office. A business
lobby, for example, is a special interest, whether it's in the business of
oil-drilling, sugarcane-raising or foreign trade with China. Others include the
gun lobby of groups opposed to gun-control laws, the American Medical
Association (AMA) and the American Association of Retired Persons or AARP. Labor
unions represent the interests of union members; environmental groups also
represent a type of special interest. The term does not have the same specific
legal significance as political action committee.
When a group
organizes to support candidates or political causes, they can form a political
action committee or PAC. Businesses, charities, labor groups, environmental
advocates, community organizations and any other group can lawfully form a PAC.
In each election, a PAC is allowed to spend $5,000 supporting an individual
candidate. It can also donate $15,000 a year to national political committees
and $5,000 to another PAC.
When a PAC
donates money, the candidate that benefits will naturally be more inclined to
serve that group's interest. If the candidate wins, this financial support may
continue into his/her term of office and play a role in passing or defeating
important legislation. The resulting conflicts of interest – among constituents,
political leaders and donors – have become commonplace.
To learn more
about PACs, especially their influence on current elections, try any of the
following links.
WHO GETS THE MONEY?
You are the manager of a PAC.
In the upcoming election, State Representative Alpha is running for re-election
against Challenger Beta.
Representative Alpha has held
office for several terms, easily winning re-election two years ago. He has
emerged as a powerful member of the legislature, chairing a major committee
during the last session. In the past, Representative Alpha has been a lukewarm
friend (at best!) in the legislature, supporting your interest group's policy
positions only about half the time.
Challenger Beta, meanwhile,
has promised that she will support your group's cause much more faithfully than
the incumbent if she wins the election.
As the PAC manager, how would
you answer the following questions?
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As a PAC, what is your
group's primary purpose?
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What are the pros and cons
of giving your financial support to Representative Alpha in the upcoming
election?
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What are the pros and cons
of giving your financial support to the challenger, Ms. Beta, in the
upcoming election?
-
Assuming that your PAC
behaves in a fashion similar to other PACs, to whom will your PAC contribute
the most money in the upcoming election campaign: State Representative Alpha
or Challenger Beta?
-
What is the rationale for
your decision?
Write a summary of your decisions regarding the 5
questions above. Your summary should be thorough, specific, include relevant
concepts from the course material and be free of spelling & grammar errors.
By the deadline shown in the
Course Schedule on the main page of the syllabus:
-
Send your
summary in the body of a new
email to
dramyglenn@earthlink.net.
-
Put only your name and Activity #2 at the beginning of your email.
-
Be careful to use the correct subject line.
-
Late summaries will lose one point per day late, including weekends and holidays.
READ THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS FROM THE MARGIN NOTES.
