‘Dark Money’ in political campaigns is about to get darker
The term ‘Dark Money’ in political campaigns refers to campaign cash that is difficult, often impossible, to trace back to the source. Any contributor of significant means has an entire industry of law firms, non-profits and political consultants at their disposal to create a byzantine network of nefarious, but altruistic sounding ‘organizations’ designed to hide the contributor.
So if you’ve never heard of groups with names like “Americans for a Better Tomorrow” or “Friends of Smallville” — its likely because these folks are not really working for a better tomorrow in America nor are they the kinds of friends Smallville really wants to have. No, they’re a political vehicle designed to prevent the average voter from knowing who is really funneling money into the campaigns and elections in their community.
To combat ‘Dark Money’, politicians have worked tirelessly to make the campaign contribution process both easier to navigate and more transparent. This has largely been a practice in futility. The reasons for this are numerous but they ultimately trace back to one essential reason: The first amendment of the U.S Constitution. As long as we have rights to free speech, especially the political kind, the ability stop money from entering the political system is not likely to happen in any meaningful way. (Apologies to those who blame the Citizens United…
