The Globe reports today that outside money is driving the Boston Mayoral Race. http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/11/01/outside-groups-pay-canvassers-knock-doors-for-walsh-and-connolly/CQgNXV0MJyBw3sXILWt5DO/story.html The mysterious “One Boston” PAC whose sole visible representative is an interior decorator from Roslindale is spending hundreds of thousands on a late ad buy for Walsh. And Democrats for Education Reform is refusing to disclose its donors as it supports Connolly. We’ve come a long way from the people’s pledge of last year’s Senate race.
Of course these groups are exercising what the Supreme Court majority denominated as First Amendment rights. But it is anomalous that in a race between two progressives the controversy that Supreme Court ruling touched off is nowhere in evidence.
One thing that will not be mysterious is the outcome on Tuesday and how we got there.
…that any of this was something that could not be done prior to Citizens United, except for the explicit advocacy of someone’s election or defeat. Before there were superPACs there were 527s which functioned more or less the same way, and I like that they can be honest in their objective as opposed to hiding behind, “Call Congressman Smith and tell him to stop raising taxes.” (We never said don’t vote for him – wink, wink – just ran the ads coincidently right before his re-election.)
In the mayoral race I’ve only seen one outside TV ad – from Dems for Ed Reform supporting Connolly. At least it is a positive ad. My strongest objection to third party advertising is not so much that they are third party as they so often are the source of the nastiness in a campaign.
Most were for Walsh, but I did see that Dems for Ed Reform ad.
Of course, the only reason I saw ads at all is that I was watching so many playoff games in real time. Normally I would have just skipped over them.
Citizens United allowed unlimited political contributions and spending from corporate and union coffers. It made a big difference in the electoral landscape in 2012, as evidenced by the millions spent by the Karl Rove, the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson. It’s making a huge impact in the mayor’s race, and looms large in the news coverage in the past few days.
The smears against John Connolly characterizing him as a “son of privilege” were funded by outside groups freed from contribution/spending shackles by a 5-4 majority of the Roberts Court. You may remember how the justices bristled when President Obama criticized Citizens United at the SOTU. Sadly, as a member of the Nat’l Association for Government Employees, I’m paying for those smears.
It’s still controversial, it’s just being taken advantage of by Democrats as well. Are we really surprised?
DFER — What’s your source on them not disclosing donors? I don’t see that at the link.
more than the other. DFER is not disclosing according to a tweet from David Bernstein.
I scanned Bernstein’s tweets, and didn’t see it.