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Billion$ and Billion$: Money in the 2000 Elections
4pm, Wednesday, 10 Jan. 2001
MIT Room 4-149
Money Raised in 2000 Federal Elections (in $Millions)
Bush | 191.6 |
Gore | 132.6 | ||||
Buchanan | 29.7 |
Nader | 7.7 | ||||
House | 586.4 |
Senate | 433.8
Rep. party371.7Dem. party505.5 |
I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and th money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. |
-Abraham Lincoln, 1864 |
The 2000 elections have broken all records for the level of money in political campaigns. The over $2.25 billion raised by federal candidates and the national parties will have a profound, if not dominant, impact on the political process. This lecture covered how campaigns are currently finances, what money was raised in the 2000 election cycle, and proposals for reform.
This lecture was given by Dave Strozzi. Thanks to all who attended.
The slides from the talk, in Postscript.
Websites and Source
Campaign Contributions
- Opensecrets.org: ABSOLUTELY AMAZING SITE!!! Encyclopedic interface to campaign contributions, taken from FEC filings. You can see how much a given industry gave over the last several elections, where a given candidate's money came from, even look up an individual donor! A project of the Center for Responsive Politics, and the source of most of the talk.
- Common Cause: Citizens' group that has been working for integrity in government for several decades. Excellent source of info on campaign finance, including their Soft Money Laundromat
- Billionaires for Bush or Gore: " Because inequality isn't growing fast enough..." Site satirizes the fact that no matter who wins the election, certain people are going to win. Inclues a list of return on investments that various industries have gotten for campaign contributions.
Campaign Finance Explained/Analyzed
- Q&A on Corporations and Campaign Finance, from the League of Women Voters
- Capaign Finance Reform Legislation, from Public Citizen
- Campaign Finance Overview from the Washington Post (Warning: this site contains corporate media, and may be dangerous to your health. Use only as directed.)
Government Sites
- Federal Election Commission: The Horse's Mouth.
- thomas.loc.gov: Library of Congress clearninghouse for information on legislation, including bills currently before Congress.
- Congressional Research Service - Lots of great research reports for Congress, but mysteriously hard to find online...
Free TV Time
Campaign Finance Legalities
Labor Spending
Clean Money Campaign Reform
- End Legalized Bribery, Cecil Heftel. Seven Locks Press - 1998. Revealing book by an ex-Congressman about how campaign finance " works ", how money affects public policy, and why we need Clean Money Campaign Reform.
- Clean Money Camaign Reform, an overview from Public Campaign.
- CMCR in Massachusetts Massachusetts adopted CMCR in 1998, and the 2002 statehouse elections are supposed to be financed under this system. However, the state legislature is trying its best not to let this happen; DON'T LET THEM!
Presidential Debate
- Commission on Presidential Debates
- CPD National Sponsors, including Anheuser-Busch
Ballot Access/Presidential Debate Lawsuits Info
- Ballot Access News. Lots of information about struggles throughout America of people to get on the ballot. Includes information about Nader's lawsuits against the Commission on Presidential Debates.