For those who still don’t think Citizens United is having a profound effect on our democracy – consider this: 78% of the $465 million in outside spending so far this election was only made possible by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.
According to a new report by the Sunlight Foundation – SuperPACs have dished out $272 million so far on this year’s election – and trade organization and non-profits, which according to Citizens United don’t have to disclose their donors, have spent another $93 million so far. The consequences of this surge in outside spending are a lot more negative ads. More than 75% of the outside spending this election has been used for negative ads – with a lot more negative ads targeting President Obama than Mitt Romney.
As a Republicans know best, negative ads suppress voter turnout, this giving Republicans a better shot at winning. We’re a month-and-a-half away from the most expensive election in this nation’s history, and the ultimate test of whether organized people can defeat organized money.
Can Organized People Defeat Organized Money?
By louisehartmann