Anonymous groups dominated 2014 general election
By Roy Ockert Jr.
Nov. 4, 2014
Regardless of who wins today’s general election, congratulations are in order to the small group of the rich people who funded the attack ads that have flooded our television broadcasts for weeks. They have convinced the vast majority of Arkansas citizens that all politicians are dirt.
As one friend concluded: “I totally disrespect politicians and their never-ending attempts to bamboozle the voters.”
A common strategy of many candidates is to declare, “I am not a politician.” Of course, anybody who files to run for public office immediately becomes a politician. A more truthful approach would be to assert, “I’ve never been a politician before.” That wouldn’t go over, though, because it would only remind people that the candidate has indeed become one.
American politicians have always had their critics. Even George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, revered as they are today, were castigated publicly by a few opponents. In fact, Jefferson occasionally criticized Washington, mostly in confidence, which is one reason he formed his own political party.
But American politics has been a noble calling throughout most of our history, and some of our political leaders have consistently among our most admired citizens.
One of Arkansas’ best came to Jonesboro Friday to address the Northeast Arkansas Political Animals Club. David Pryor, former state representative, congressman, governor and U.S. senator, had a vested interest in this year’s election since his son Mark was running for re-election to the U.S. Senate.
David Pryor’s comments were certainly aimed to help with that cause. But he also reminisced about his political career and how things have changed. The man can still connect one-on-one with with an audience better than any Arkansas politician, and we’ve had some good ones.
I wonder, though, how he would fare in the vitriolic election campaigns of today. Would he be painted as the lackey of an unpopular president, a career politician, tax-and-spend liberal or worse?
I expect so because American politics has turned into a big money game that allows well-heeled capitalists to promote their own interests by hiding behind organizations that attack candidates they don’t like for the benefit of those they do. Truth is not important because there is no accountability.
If a candidate tells a lie, the lie can be exposed. We then know he’s a liar and can vote accordingly.
But if an organization with a high-sounding name, financed by big-money donors, tells a lie, no one is responsible. The candidate who benefits can say, “I had nothing to do with it.”
That’s what the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC has given us: elections dominated by wealthy individuals, corporations and labor unions able to pour unlimited amounts of money into influencing elections without fear of public disclosure and accountability.
David Pryor recalled his 1984 campaign for the U.S. Senate against Ed Bethune. Each campaign organization spent about $1 million, he said, and no outside groups were involved. As was the custom then, campaign ads started 30-45 days before the election.
By contrast, he said, the first TV ads in the Senate campaign of 2014 aired in February 2013, and “since then it has been a slugfest.”
Pryor predicted that some $90-100 million will be spent in this year’s Arkansas Senate campaign, which, he added, may be more than has been spent on all of the state’s previous Senate campaigns.
The latest report by the Center for Responsive Politics, based on Federal Election Commission data released Monday, showed the total of candidate and outside spending at just short of $59.8 million. That makes it the fifth most expensive Senate campaign in the country this year.
Who says Arkansas has to be last at everything?
What’s most disturbing is that the candidates have spent “only” about $20 million. The remaining almost $40 million has been spent by those shadowy outside organizations, which, unlike the candidates, can accept unlimited contributions, and most of them don’t have to disclose their donors.
That $40 million has been spent mostly on negative TV advertising that attacks one candidate or another, thus making all politicians look bad. TV stations happily accept them without regard for their truthfulness — as long as they are paid in advance.
And all this is for a public service job that pays $174,000 annually.
Does anyone think the people who have financed this onslaught don’t expect a return on this investment?
To be fair, attack ads have been done by groups that favor both political parties, which is true in other states as well. These groups aren’t satisfied with trying to influence the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races but now splash money into local elections.
They even keep their eyes on voters. On Oct. 27 I received a large card in the mail that said, “WARNING! Public records indicate that your vote has not yet been cast.” It was the first of five “report cards” financed by the Americans for Prosperity, showing that I voted in 2010 and 2012 and reminding me that I need to vote this year. “Big Brother” is not the government, after all.
If we learned anything from this election season, it should be that we must put some limits on these organizations that want to tell us when and how to vote.
Roy Ockert is editor emeritus of The Jonesboro Sun. He may be reached by e-mail at royo@suddenlink.net.