Presented by Ted Anagnoson
On Day 1, we will review the history of the federal rules for campaign finance, shaped and molded by the Supreme Court into a system that no one would ever enact as it presently exists. This will include Buckley v. Valeo, Citizens United, the Federal Election Commission’s rules and limits, and an introduction to “dark money.” We will divide day 2 in half, first looking at California’s and other states’ rules, and then in more depth at SuperPACs and 501(c)(4)s. We’ll have several case studies of SuperPACs and dark money, including Rep. George Santos’s 501(c)(4), charities that are actually political organizations, federal contractors and foreigners who try to flout the bans on their monetary contributions, and more! On day 3 we will examine the forces that have propelled the country toward political polarization, including weak (yes, weak!) political parties, SCOTUS decisions, the realignment of politics in the southern U.S., and selection of party nominees through low-turnout primaries. Where is all this going?