One of the many things I have to do as a candidate for state representative is to file disclosure forms with the state about who is donating to my campaign and what I am spending the money on. So I was very surprised when the US Supreme Court decided early this year that unlimited sums of money could be donated anonymously to groups who would use it to support or oppose candidates for office.
It seems odd that some unknown corporation or individual far away from NH, maybe even overseas, can give enormous sums of money to a group with a nice name and that group can buy ads in NH that don’t even have to have any connection with the facts about a candidate’s positions or character. Meanwhile I have to list every person who gives me more than $25! And may I say I am very grateful to those who have supported my campaign.
We are all going to see a lot of TV ads in the next few weeks. We all know the candidates have to approve their ads, but we don’t know much about who approves these attack ads. Some of the campaigns have estimated that up to $10,000,000 will be spent in NH this fall! That’s a lot of money for a small state. I really would love to know where that money comes from.
We’ve all heard about “buying votes.” This takes it to a whole new level. Is your vote for sale? Do you know who you are selling it to? What do you think you will get in return? Will you be represented by the candidate you support, or will the deep-pocketed donors in another state get the ear of your Congressperson, Senator or Governor?
