Preface

Campaign spending has increased dramatically in recent years. During the 2000 election year, more than $3 billion were raised by national and local campaigns, and the two major parties spent record-breaking amounts on their presidential candidates. Although one may be tempted to characterize the steady decrease in the number of Americans who exercise their right to vote as evidence of an apathetic populace, many of those who abstain suffer instead from a sense of hopelessness in the face of widespread corruption in politics. There is a general perception that monied interests have acquired so much power to sway politicians that the concerns of individual citizens have been forgotten. This has led some to believe that their vote does not count.

Corporations have been prohibited from contributing to political campaigns since Congress passed the Tillman Act in 1907; nonetheless, those companies that support particular candidates have always been able to find ways around campaign finance regulations. Recently, unregulated donations known as soft money have created a loophole that allows wealthy individuals and corporations to spend many millions of dollars to influence legislation. Campaign finance regulations were instituted under President Richard Nixon in 1972, but following the Watergate scandal, it was learned that both parties had engaged in illegal fund-raising. The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1974 set strict limits on campaign contributions and established the Federal Election Commission both to keep a record of donations and to enforce the new laws. In 1976 the United States Supreme Court weakened the effect of the FECA in Buckley v. Valeo by removing many of the contribution limits set forth by the law, and many corporations and political organizations quickly took advantage of their newfound freedom to spend.

Determining how donations affect policy is problematic, since in many cases, corporations contribute comparable amounts to both parties. Many efforts have been made to enact campaign finance reform in the wake of the 1996 election, a campaign which saw both parties accused of impropriety. But not everyone agrees that such efforts are necessary; opponents of reform maintain that limits on spending violate the spirit of the First Amendment. Not surprisingly, many of those opposed to campaign finance reform have been incumbent office holders who have historically benefitted from existing finance regulations. An important campaign finance reform bill co-sponsored by Senators John McCain and Russell Feingold was rejected by the Congress several years in a row.

The articles collected in this book explore many facets of this complex issue, beginning with an overview of the history of campaign finance practices, abuses, and regulations throughout U.S. history in Section I. The second section addresses the issue of the unregulated contributions known as soft money, a trend some see as necessary and others find hopelessly corrupt. Section III features both sides of the debate over campaign finance reform and includes a selection of articles written from particular perspectives. The fourth and final section looks at recent local and national efforts toward reform. The authors of the articles assembled here address several questions raised by the subject of campaign finance. For example, are politicians influenced by their contributors’ agendas, and if so, to what extent do they return the favor in kind? Is money a form of political speech? Are the voices of citizens who are not affiliated with high-powered corporations or political organizations being heard by those within the power structure? What, if anything, can be done to restore honesty and integrity to United States politics? This book is intended to provide an evenhanded examination of these contentious issues.

The editor would like to thank the publishers and authors who granted permission for the use of their articles for this publication. This book would not have been possible without the patience and assistance of the following individuals: Gray Young, Sandra Watson, Jacquelene Latif, Lynn Messina, and Sara Yoo. I am very grateful to all of them for the hard work they contributed to the preparation of this volume.

Christopher Luna

January 2001