Political Action Committees (PACs) are organizations that are organized and operated primarily to accept contributions and make expenditures for the purpose of influencing the selection, nomination, election or appointment of individuals to political offices. Political Action Committees are typically established by business interests, labor unions, trade groups and health organizations; these are
commonly referred to as “Connected PACs”. Other PACs, called “Leadership PACs” are established by elected officials and political parties. A third category of PACs, “Non-Connected PACs” are established based upon an ideological mission, often with a focus on a single issue. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), that political spending is protected under the First Amendment. As a result, individuals, corporations and unions can now spend unlimited amounts on political activities as long the expenditures are done independently of a party or candidate. This ruling ushered in the present era of “Super PACs”. Super PACs function as independent expenditure groups that essentially operate their own political campaigns in support of the candidates of their choosing without coordination with political parties or candidates. Thus, Super PACs are “super” because of their ability to operate virtually unconstrained in terms of donor possibilities. The Need for The People’s Campaign
Abraham Lincoln stated, in his Gettysburg Address, “we here highly resolve . . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
Yet today, given recent court rulings, PACs have a greater influence on the outcomes of elections than ever before. The vast majority of the time that influence is exerted by corporate interests and political leaders in the furtherance of their special interests. There are Political Action Committees that seek to influence elections based upon their respective ideological missions, but such PACs are generally focused upon a single issue or a cluster of very closely related issues. Additionally, labor union oriented PACs seek to influence elections in a manner that’s favorable to labor. Certainly, these PACs represent the interests and concerns of certain sectors of “the people”, but they do not comprehensively represent the interests of “the People”. So based upon the necessity of sustaining a people driven democratic form of government and the ever increasing influence of PACs upon our political landscape, it is imperative that a PAC, such as The People’s Campaign, exists and operates in the furtherance of what is best for the People.
