Flickr/<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/noahwesley/120499365/">noahwesley</a> (<a href="http://www.creativecommons.org">Creative Commons</a>).
Via Mike Allen’s Playbook, I see that someone in the White House is thinking the right way about the whole Chamber of Commerce/foreign money/corporate campaign donations flap:
PLAYBOOK QUIZ: Why did the White House invest so much capital in the “foreign money” issue? a) stoke the Dem. base; b) make donors think twice before writing a check to a GOP-friendly outside group; c) delegitimize GOP victories; or d) “We actually think there is something wrong with millions of dollars of undisclosed special interest money being funneled through shadowy groups to buy elections. Foreign money is a part of the problem, but it’s only part.” Good job! D is correct!
This is exactly right. It is wrong for individuals and corporations to anonymously buy elections by funnelling millions of dollars through front groups. But as I’ve said before, if the Democrats really want to take on this issue, they need to go after the domestic corporations and the super-rich individuals who are providing the bulk of the money.
It’s easy to anonymously tell Mike Allen that you think something is bad. The hard part is making the case to the American people. But if President Obama really wanted to launch a serious national conversation about money in politics and political corruption (on both sides of the aisle), I think many Americans would welcome it.
