Campaign FinancingFormer House Speaker Thomas ("Tip" ) O'Neill once said, "As it is now, there are four parts to any campaign: The candidate, the issues of the candidates, the campaign organization, and the money to run the campaign with. Without money you can forget the other three. (Janda, Berry, Goldman, & Hula, 2012, p. 221)

The 1974 campaign finance law provided public funds for presidential candidates who agreed to abide by overall campaign spending limits. In 2008 Barack Obama became the first candidate since the system was established to refuse those public funds. The presidential campaigns spent 1.3 billion dollars in 2008 a figure close to double what was spent in 2004. In 1976 (the first publicly funded campaign) the candidates spent less than 67 million.

We tend to be extremely cynical about the role of money in political campaigns. It's common to hear people say all politicians are crooks and you can't get anywhere politically without money. I'm not about to tell you otherwise but that kind of dismissal of politics and politicians can be very dangerous. If you are convinced it's about money and you don't have money the only conclusion is you are powerless.

Knowledge is also power so minimally you need to be able to understand the why, the who, and the how of money in campaigns.

Be sure you use Chapter 9 as a resource for this assignment. This material can be difficult to understand and the text puts it in a fairly approachable manner.

For this discussion board I want you to use one very specific group (Center for Responsive Politics) and their website for your research: OpenSecrets.org. http://www.opensecrets.org/index.php

To quote from the site itself: The Center for Responsive Politics is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the organization aims to create a more educated voter, an involved citizenry and a more transparent and responsive government. In short, the Center's mission is to:

• •Inform citizens about how money in politics affects their lives
• •Empower voters and activists by providing unbiased information
• •Advocate for a transparent and responsive government

Go to: http://www.opensecrets.org/influence/index.php

At that page you will find a list of the most powerful players/activities in the Washington influence industry: Interest Groups, Lobbying, the Revolving Door, PACS, Organizations, and 527s. Read the descriptions and then select one for further research.

1. 1.For your main discussion board posting indicate which you selected and give a brief description of what the group or activity is about.Be sure to select one you understand. Once you have clicked on the page for that group, read the information provided and give 3 significant facts that you got from your research.If you have trouble understanding the information, go back into the textbook (Chapter 9) for background.
2. 2.Do you believe it is possible to limit the amount candidates spend on campaigns and/or the amount spent by others on campaigns?In answering this question consider the following:
3. a.The case of one man who tried, Governor Roemer.Reading included with assignment.
4. b.The significance of Citizen's United (explained in textbook).
5. c.The Koch Brothers' plan for 2016:http://www.nytimes.com/201501/27/us/politics/kochs-plan-to-spend-900-million-on-2016-campaign.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share

In grading this board I will be looking at the facts you use to support your positions not the position you take. You should be using the sources provided in this assignment. Be sure you cite your sources.

Works Cited

Janda, K., Berry, J. M., Goldman, J., & Hula, K. W. (2012). The challenge of Democracy American government in Global Politics, The Essentials, 8th Edition (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.