On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, the Des Moines Register ran an editorial that begins:
"Amid the deluge of political messages raining down on Iowans in recent weeks have been some that look to be sponsored by the candidates but are, in fact, paid for by independent organizations. To hear the critics, this insidious outside force that has penetrated Iowa’s borders should be throttled by the federal election police.
Here’s another way to look at this: These outside groups are exercising their rights of free speech under the First Amendment. They are giving voters information about the election. Some of it is useful, and no doubt some of it is scurrilous. But whatever the tone, the veracity or the fairness, it is hardly the job of the federal government to step in and referee the truth in presidential campaigns."
The piece highlights that these "issue ads became increasingly visible after the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance reforms were enacted to rein in contributions to candidates for federal office. As with any effort to control money in politics, McCain-Feingold has had unintended consequences. Issue ads bought by outside groups are one example. Contributions that would otherwise have gone to a candidate’s campaign now are channeled into independent organizations that support or oppose policy issues and political candidates."
The Register also writes that 527′s, which fund much of the issue advertising, "are free to weigh in on elections provided they confine their messages to policy issues, as opposed to directly supporting or attacking a particular candidate."
CCP believes that the First Amendment allows individuals to band together to expressly advocate for or against candidates for federal office free of arbitrary government limits and the Des Moines Register appears to agree:
"It should be beyond question that any individuals or groups should be able to spend their own money to support whatever cause or candidate they wish without having to get permission from the government. At the most, they should be required to declare the source of their funding. And the best way to respond to those who lie or distort in the exercise of free speech is with speech that corrects the record."
