Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Why super PACs?

We discussed super PACs in class earlier, and with election season in full swing now, super PACs are once again becoming major players. True, super PACs are supposed to be independent from candidates, but they can support or oppose whomever they choose.
But why do these individuals donate so much money to candidates? (for a breakdown of the financing, click here http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/01/31/us/politics/super-pac-donors.html?ref=politics ) And where does the money go?

The second question is pretty easy: the money goes to the candidates, to fund ad campaigns and more expensive things...okay yes, that makes sense.

But WHY do these people donate such large sums of money? Obviously they have enough money to invest in their hobbies and interests; but why choose to create or donate to a super PAC? There must be some sort of reward to this. Sure, they are promoting a cause and their belief, but there must be something else.

Although, maybe there isn't some corrupted ulterior motive driving these multimillionares and corporation owners to finance candidates. Maybe they are just donating from the good of their hearts...but then again, why don't they donate to America, by agreeing to pay a bit more in taxes to help the others?

What do you think: why do individuals create super PACs? What's in it for them?

**this morning I read that the Republican candidates are running out of funds and relying more heavily on super PACs, giving these individuals and organizations a much larger say in government. Click here for a NY times article on depleting funds.

1 comment:

Ivan Wang said...

It's interesting to see the people behind super PACs and their motives. Donating huge sums of money for a candidate who might not even win seems risky, but perhaps justified, if he or she offers much change in policy or ideology. Oftentimes, supporters care greatly about certain issues that the status quo presidency might not be addressing; or they may simply dislike Obama for what he's done. In either case, I only wish the campaigns would focus more on the policies and actions a successful president would enact, rather than attacking his or her political opponents, as is generally the case. I would much rather we donate our money to a cause that promises the betterment of society (or even better, acts upon it) than one that simply criticizes our current leaders.