ABC News/Washington Post: 69% of Americans Believe That Super PACs Should Be Illegal

According to a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, a full 69% of Americans believe that Super PACs should be illegal.

According to the poll, Democrats, Republicans and independents all believe that Super PACs should be illegal. 70% of Democrats, 55% of Republicans and nearly 80% of independents that were included in the poll said that Super PACs should be illegal.

A Super PAC is able to raise unlimited amounts of money that can be used to support or oppose a candidate. The only stipulation is that Super PACs can not co-ordinate directly with a candidate.

Super PACs are also referred to as “independent expenditure-only committees”.

Super PACs have been VERY active in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination so far. Restore Our Future, Inc. (pro Mitt Romney) and Winning Our Future (pro Newt Gingrich) have been particularly active, splashing millions of dollars on radio, TV and direct mail campaigns.

According to a recent Bloomberg News report, 91% of the 5,592 campaign ads that have been aired on TV in Mississippi and Alabama have been paid for by Super PACs. Super PACs have been almost as big of a story as the primaries themselves so far. Who is giving money to a Super PAC? How much did a Super PAC raise last month? What did a Super PAC spend money on? These are all questions that are asked every single month these days.

As mentioned, Super PACs can raise unlimited amounts of money, and there are no restrictions as to how much money an individual can donate to a Super PAC. We’ve already seen certain people donate millions and millions of dollars to Super PACs, and I would expect this trend to continue and even accelerate after the Republicans pick their candidate in the summer.

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What’s your take? Do Super PACs deserve a place in the political landscape, or should they be banned?

Source: USAToday.com - Poll: 69% of Americans Want To Outlaw Super PACs

Filed under: General Knowledge