Anonymous donors spent $132M on 2010 campaign ads-Study aimed to measure impact of Citizens United

[kpete]

Source: MSNBC

Anonymous donors spent $132M on 2010 campaign ads
Study aimed to measure impact of Citizens United decision on election cycle

NEW YORK — Independent groups that do not disclose the identity of their donors spent $132.5 million to influence elections nationwide this year, accounting for about a third of all spending by outside groups in the 2010 election cycle, a report released Friday found.

The analysis by the office of New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio aimed to quantify how federal campaigns had been affected by the Supreme Court's so-called Citizens United ruling. The ruling, handed down in January, cleared the way for companies and labor unions to spend unlimited funds to influence elections, often using money from anonymous donors.

Groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees took advantage of the new rules, spending tens of millions on campaign ads in races across the country.

Other groups formed specifically to make use of the new rules spent lavishly as well, including the Republican-leaning American Crossroads and Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, which were formed with help from former President George W. Bush's top adviser, Karl Rove.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40608858/ns/politics-decisi... /

[SpiralHawk]

1. "Smirk." - RepubliCorp, Inc. (R)

[ExTheUnknown]

2. Did it all go to replublicorp?

Groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees took advantage of the new rules, spending tens of millions on campaign ads in races across the country.

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees just doesn't sound like a
republican outfit to me. Nothing in the report seemed to point in any certain direction.

[Angry Dragon]

3. and you group the Chamber in with the AFSCME??

Shame on you

[IamK]

5. they are both corrupt.....

[fasttense]

10. And you know this because you are a genius............

Or because you like to quote RepubliCON talking points?

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[SpiralHawk]

4. Glug glug glug !

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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[PSPS]

8. "and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees"

Groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees took advantage of the new rules, spending tens of millions on campaign ads in races across the country.

This is the same as the "and unions" canard the corporate media uses when discussing Citizens United and its corrupting influence. The republican front groups like the Chamber and Crossroads spent about ten times the amount of all the "left leaning" groups. There is no comparison, of course. but the corporate media, virtually all of which is owned by about five plutocrats, continuously tries to portray it that way.

[fasttense]

9. Seems the Chamber of Horror's talking points are still circulating.

Thanks for setting the record straight PSPS.

As if Unions have even a fraction of the money Corporations have access to. Hell, Murdoch regularly raids the profits of his corporations to donate to RepubliCONS, despite the shareholder complaints.

[xxqqqzme]

11. Between Nutmeg, fiorina

and the rethuglican party, 673 million was spent in California to defeat Democrats. Not only did all the state offices go to Democrats but not one single seat was lost in the House. The Democrats even picked up one seat in the State Assembly. California was not for sale this time.

[TomCADem]

12. Yet, Folks Dismiss The Pervasive Nature Of The Corporate Media's Anti-Obama/Democratic Narrative...

...with the millions that are being pumped into campaigns from right wing advocates.