TV and radio ads and direct mail made up largest percentage (38%)...
TV and radio ads and direct mail made up largest percentage (38%) of soft money political expenditures in 2000, while percentage of total expenditures for party-building activities (8.3%) ranked fifth, according to Brennan Center study. Despite “scare tactics” of…
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antireformers, who claim that proposed restrictions on soft money would gut party spending, analysis indicated that drop in funds devoted to party-building efforts had “coincided” with rise in electioneering issue ad expenditures. For example, soft money spending between 1992 and 2000 increased to $487.5 million from $86.1 million while party spending on issue ads “skyrocketed” to 52% from 3% of soft money expenditures as state party expenditures on party building dropped to 10% from 14%, Center’s Democracy Program Dir. Nancy Northrup said: “Soft money ushered in the era of political party as TV ad producer. Closing the soft money loophole will refocus parties on the activities for which they are uniquely equipped, [such as] voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, broad message development and agenda setting.” Legislation (S-27) by Sens. McCain (R-Ariz.) and Feingold (D-Wis.), which Senate passed earlier this year, and recently reintroduced bill (HR-2356) by Reps. Shays (R-Conn.) and Meehan (D-Mass.), would shut that loophole, she said. Spokeswoman told us that Center had plans to publish book that would integrate current findings with joint research (CD March 22 p2) that Center and U. of Wis. performed earlier this year. Study showed that: (1) 99.8% of party- sponsored ads funded with soft money mentioned candidates while only 8% mentioned parties. (2) Corporations and unions helped fund those ads, which advocated defeat or election of candidates, despite federal prohibition against such organizations’ attempting to influence elections. (3) More than half (54%) of ads purchased by parties in last 2 months of election season were attack ads.