These activities loom particularly large in the wake of BCRA's prohibition on national political party use of non-federally-permissible funds (i.e.,
soft money) to pay for voter mobilization activities.
Campaign finance
soft money contributions from individuals seeking to curry favor with
Preparing for 2006: a constitutional argument for closing the 527 soft money loophole
Title I of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act not only prohibits national political parties from raising
soft money, it also prohibits state and local political parties from spending
soft money on so-called "federal election activity." The government argued that these restrictions were necessary because of "abundant record evidence that describes a systemic exchange of large soft-money donations for access to federal officeholders, through arrangements brokered by the parties." (3)
McConnell v. FEC: reforming campaign finance: Court upholds Campaign Finance Act despite First Amendment dissents
The Supreme Court upheld these provisions and summed up: "In the main we uphold BCFRA's two principal complementary features: the control of
soft money and the regulation of electioneering communications." (9)
Five justices hold firm on 'soft' campaign money
The district court also upheld, and expanded, restrictions on national and state party use of
soft money to fund broadcast advertisements.
Under BCRA, political parties can't take party-building activities for granted
Yet, the ban on
soft money fundraising by the national parties will make elections significantly more uncompetitive.
New campaign financing regulations may already be a failure. (National Affairs)
In the late 1970s, it issued a series of rulings that gave rise to the
soft money loophole in the first place.
The short, unhappy life of campaign finance reform: everyone seems ready to bury the McCain-Feingold law--including those responsible for enforcing it. (Power plays: politics)
The awful elections, where the
soft money system was exploited by Bill Clinton especially, and we got Chinese money and the Indonesian gardener and the Lincoln bedroom and all that stuff.
Russ Feingold. (The Progressive Interview)
Soft money has not been regulated by federal law until now.
Campaign Finance 'Reform'
The Bill bans the use of
soft money to buy 'issue adverts' within 60 days of an election or 30 days of a primary.
Enron crisis hastens donation clampdown
In the 2000 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, Enron's political action committees and its employees spent $2,446,000, including "
soft money" donations.
Laying low. (Capitol Ideas)
"
Soft money" is at the core of the conflict between those for and against campaign finance reform.
CBC fails for a Republican
But during the past election cycle, the pharmaceutical and health-products industries rained $15.7 million in
soft money down on the parties to protect their outrageous profit margins.
Should Soft Money Be Banned?
But people get around this by donating "
soft money," which is supposed to go to a political party for expenses.
Senate Approves Campaign Finance Reform
And so, suddenly, there are Democratic doubts, especially because Democrats did very well in 2000 raising the
soft money McCain-Feingold would prohibit.
Campaign Finance Reform Debate Begins Again