1. Write 2 newspaper headlines for the following events – you must use the vocab words! 1. John McCain won the Republican nomination in 2008. (primary election, party base) 2. Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008. (general election, winner-take-all) Bell ringer

2. Campaign Finance Elections & Campaigns

3. Today we will … Objectives  Identify ways candidates can finance their campaigns, using hard money & soft money.  Explain when reforms occurred over time and their effects. Agenda  Campaign finance reform slides/notes/vocab  10.5 – Reading Questions  Closure  HW: Read 10.4 Campaigning & write a candidate’s email/letter home

4.  Read 10.4 Campaigning  Write a email/letter home as if you are a presidential candidate  Use the vocab words listed for 10.4:  Presidential election  Term limits  Stump speech  Polling place  Battleground states  Electoral vote Homework – 10.4

5. The Real Cost of a Presidential Campaign: Presidential Prices - Bloomberg

6. Tug of War special interests vs. reform

7. The First Amendment -1790

8.  1870 15 th AmendmentAfrican-Americans get the vote  191317th AmendmentPopular election of Senators.  192019th AmendmentWomen get the vote  197126th Amendment 18 and older get the vote  1993 Motor Voter ActMakes registering to vote easier Number of voters expanded

9.  Political contributions ($) that are regulated by law – specifically contributions that fall within the contribution limits and source requirements.  Given directly to a candidate.  Its name is ironic to some because of how “hard” it is to raise these funds. “Hard Money”

10.  1939Hatch Act  Congress prohibited contributions to federal candidates from federal workers and contractors & limited individual contributions to $5,000 per year.  1947Taft-Hartley Act  Permanent ban on contributions to federal candidates from unions, corporations, and interstate banks. The Early Years

11. Who is winning the tug of war? Special Interests or Reformers?

12. 1971 Revenue Act  Established the public financing system for qualifying presidential candidates.  Paid for by the voluntary $1.00 check off on income tax forms. 1971 Federal Elections Campaign Act (FECA)  Required full and timely disclosures, limited some contributions, capped spending, and permitted unions and corporations to form PACs. Leading to Watergate

13. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PACs)  Most PAC’s are politically active groups run by corporations, labor unions, membership organizations or trade associations.  Political contributions made to these PACs must be from their members.  May be used to pay for candidate ads (“independent ads”) PACs

14. Who is winning the tug of war? Special Interests or Reformers?

15.  Fred Wertheimer in NYTimes Video: The Cost of Campaigns | Democracy21Democracy21 Fred Wertheimer in NYTimes Video: The Cost of Campaigns | Democracy21Democracy21

16. 1974Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)  After the Nixon Watergate scandal Congress created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act provisions.  $1,000 individual contribution limit  $5,000 PAC contribution limit After Watergate

17. Who is winning the tug of war? Special Interests or Reformers?

18.  1979FECA Amendments- Package of amendments to the election campaign act allows the use of donations to political parties rather than candidates Challenges to FECA LOOPHOLE!

19.  Any political contribution that is not regulated by law.  These funds are supposed to be limited to party building activities & “get out the vote” drives, but some of this money still finds its way into areas where contributions should be regulated (ex: Ads for the election or defeat of a candidate). “Soft Money”

20. Who is winning the tug of war? Special Interests or Reformers?

21. 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act  Sponsored by Senators Russell Feingold (D-WI) & John McCain (R-AZ).  No more unregulated contributions (soft money) to national political parties.  Defined political ads as "electioneering communications" & said these ads could NOT be paid for by a corporation or unincorporated entity (aka PAC) using any corporate or union funds. McCain-Feingold Law (BCRA)

22. 2003 Supreme Court Upholds BCRA  McConnell v FEC  The decision preserved the soft money ban and restrictions on political ads, which were the most significant parts of BCRA. BCRA is upheld.

23. Who is winning the tug of war? Special Interests or Reformers?

24. 2010Citizens United v. FEC  The ruling allowed corporations and unions to advocate for or against candidates at any time.  The 5-to-4 decision said of the First Amendment’s most basic free speech principle — that the government has no business regulating political speech.  Corporations & unions have 1 st Amendment right to free speech, just like people do.  American Crossroads - American Crossroads American Crossroads - American Crossroads  Restore Our Future Restore Our Future BCRA is dismantled.

25. The Super PAC is born.  Super PACs may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals, then spend unlimited sums to advocate for or against political candidates.  Super PACs must report their donors to the FEC on a monthly or quarterly basis.  Super PACs cannot donate money directly to political candidates.  http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/epwg6t/stephe n-files-super-pac-request http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/epwg6t/stephe n-files-super-pac-request No limits on spending! Issue Ads - free of most regulation

26. Who won the tug of war? Special Interests or Reformers?

28. 10.5 - Reading Groups  Read 10.5 together and discuss/answer the questions about financing election campaigns.

29. Closure  Do you think that limiting campaign contributions from companies, industries, and labor unions infringes upon 1 st Amendment freedom of speech?