Let's End the Arms Race of Secret, Corporate Money in Our Elections

Democrats should use this moment to seize the overwhelming bipartisan sentiment across this country that we need to curb the influence of money in our elections.

The following article first appeared on TheNation.com.For more great content from the Nation, sign up for their email newsletters here.

The post-Citizens United drive for secret money is now a veritable arms race.

As a New York Times editorial recently noted,

Bill Burton, former White House deputy press secretary, is leading a group called Priorities USA to “raise unlimited money from undisclosed sources to aid in the president’s re-election campaign.

While I’m sympathetic to the notion that Democrats cannot afford to cede ground in these exorbitant, no-holds-barred campaigns—as one colleague put it, “You don’t fight with one hand tied behind your back”—this isn’t news to be welcomed by pro-democracy reformers. By accepting the same opaque money they are arguing against, the Democrats’ case for campaign finance reform becomes morally ambiguous at best.
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