Money and Politics He U.S

■ Letters, Page 2 ■ Arts, Pages 4-7 ■ ■ Th ursday, January 26, 2012 Section III, Page ONE Editorial Real Estate, Pages 7-10 Money and Politics he U.S. Supreme Court has estab- and individuals could then donate as Tlished that, even though corpora- much as they want to the nonprofi t, tions are artifi cial creatures of which isn’t required to publicly disclose law, they have the same standing as per- funders,” wrote Barker and Wang. “Th e sons under our Constitution. But that nonprofi t could then donate as much determination was made long before as it wanted to the Super-PAC, which the 2010 Supreme Court decision that lists the nonprofi t’s donation but not the gave corporations, unions and wealthy original contributors.” individuals the right to spend unlimited And while the identity of donors funds to infl uence elections. can be hidden from the public, there is Corporations gained personhood no rule that says they can’t tell the poli- status in the United States through an ticians directly about their support, if 1886 Supreme Court decision on a case they choose to do so. called Santa Clara County v. Southern Supreme Court Justice Anthony Pacifi c. And it was a simple assertion Kennedy, who wrote the majority deci- by a single judge, entered into the sum- sion opening the door to such spending, mary record by the court reporter, and cited prompt disclosure as the means not a vote of the court of providing citizens that established the It’s time for Congress “with the information doctrine of corporate to show the collective needed to hold cor- personhood that now courage to require porations and elected has existed for more offi cials accountable than a century. So the public disclosure for their positions and assertion that the Rob- of every single political supporters. But in real- erts court, in its 5-4 donor in America and ity, that prompt disclo- Citizens United v. Fed- sure does not exist and eral Election Commis- the amount of his or her Congress has yet to sion decision of 2010, contribution. legislate a meaningful defi ned corporations disclosure system. In as persons is inaccurate. fact, no such legislation is even pending. Th e ruling, however, opened the Th e Sunlight Foundation has draft - door to a largely unregulated fl ow of ed a bill that, if enacted, would at least LAST LEAF ON A TREE ELLSWORTH AMERICAN PHOTO BY HUGH BOWDEN money — gigantic sums of money — make a start toward addressing the cor- into our election process from those rupting infl uence of unlimited political seeking to infl uence the outcomes to spending. It would: Th ink on the last leaf on the tree No chlorophyll to warm your veins. No happy sights or cheerful sounds their own advantage. According to • Ensure disclosure of donors who And how you’d feel if it were thee, No Summer winds or Summer rains. As life pursues its daily rounds. Th y friends departed, one by one, No good companions on that branch. Th ings ain’t what they’re cracked up to be the Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofi t fund independent expenditures and Abandoned by the Winter sun. No horses neighing on the ranch. If you’re the last leaf on the tree. organization that works to make gov- electioneering communications made BY JAMES RUSSELL WIGGINS ernment transparent and accountable, by Super-PACs or other 501(c) organi- REPRINTED FROM A PREVIOUS ISSUE dark money played a major role in the zations. mid-term 2010 elections. Th e foun- • Require real-time, online disclo- dation found that $126 million of the sure of all reports with data in search- $454 million spent by outside groups able, sortable, machine-readable for- for such things as negative political ads mats and including unique IDs for all The Disappearing Atlantic Bridge came from groups with secret donors. fi lers. Here’s how it works, according to • Require disclaimers and identifi - By Marvin Ott cerning Greece appear to have moved beyond when the President recently visited Asia and ProPublica journalists Kim Barker and cation of top funders in an ad. Conversations these days with Europeans “whether” to “when and how.” Whether any talked about America’s growing economic Marian Wang. Th e Citizens United rul- • Require registered lobbyists to closely involved with the United States oft en other Eurozone nation will have to walk the and military presence in the Asia-Pacifi c re- ing paved the way for Super-PACS — report their spending on independent take on a notably pessimistic tone. Viewed plank in similar fashion remains to be seen. gion. Again, there are powerful underlying committees that can raise and spend expenditures and electioneering com- from Europe, the historic relationship with Portugal will receive a lot of intense scrutiny forces at work. Asia, not Europe, is an arena of the United States — the Atlantic bridge — is over the next few weeks. strong economic growth. Th e U.S. economic unlimited sums of money from indi- munications. in relative decline. Th at As we have noted be- recovery is increasingly tied to the growth of viduals, corporations, unions and other • Require all candidates and com- perception, and the fore, the European cri- China, India, Korea, Taiwan and Southeast groups to infl uence elections — as long mittees to fi le electronically with the angst that goes with it, Offshore sis is very complex but Asia. Th is last year, General Motors reclaimed as they don’t coordinate with any can- Federal Election Commission. is based on a reading of is rooted in two simple its position as the world’s largest vehicle man- didate or political party. Super-PACS It’s time for Congress to show the major trends on both sides of “the pond.” realities. First, much of Europe (particularly ufacturer. Much of that achievement was must disclose their donors, but that collective courage to require public dis- Everyone is familiar with the ongoing Eu- those in the southern tier) has been living based on its success in the China market. disclosure can be delayed until months closure of every single political donor in ropean economic/fi nancial crisis. As of this well beyond its means for many years. Now Every European defense offi cial took aft er an election. And by combining a America and the amount of his or her writing, it now appears likely that the once all the accumulated debt has become unsup- note when Secretary of Defense Panetta an- unthinkable will actually happen. Greece, a portable, or nearly so, and the IOUs have nounced that as U.S. defense budgets contract, Super-PAC with a nonprofi t 501(c), contribution. Th e Sunlight Foundation member of the Eurozone (countries that use come due. Second, the institutions of the new so will the American military presence in Eu- which can include labor unions, trade proposal is not an all-encompassing the Euro as their currency), will be forced to united Europe have proven to be conceptu- rope — in order to sustain an ongoing (and associations and other special inter- solution to the corrupting infl uence declare bankruptcy and return to the use of ally fl awed. A working assumption behind even growing) U.S. military presence in Asia. est groups, the identity of donors can of unlimited political spending, but it its former national currency — the drachma. the “European enterprise” is that Europe is For Europeans, the obvious question is what be completely shielded. “Corporations could be a critical fi rst step. Discussions within the European Union con- a real thing with an organic identity that will this means for NATO. Th at question becomes command the imagination and loyalties of particularly urgent in the face of declining its peoples. But Iceland and Italy or Lithu- (and already low) European defense budgets. ania and Portugal are very diff erent places. Bluntly put, the drawdown of U.S. forces will Many young people in these countries do feel not be off set by a greater European eff ort. It Israel’s Opportunity to Outfox Iran a European bond, but it is not strong enough is noteworthy that Britain has no operational to provide a genuine democratic foundation aircraft carrier and was able to mount an air By Peter Sly delay an Iranian weapon. It may be that nuclear settlement could help break this to European institutions. European govern- campaign over Libya only because it gained Th e Ellsworth American may be com- the smartest strategy for deterring Iran’s logjam. ments do not dare put their participation in access to an airfi eld on a small Italian island. mended for the attention its editorial page nuclear push would be for Israel to actively First, some background. At the moment, the EU and Eurozone up to a popular refer- Was the operation in Libya NATO’s last gasp? gives to the Middle East. In June 2011, pursue a nuclear-free zone. Israel is the only Mideast country with a endum. As a result, we have EU institutions, As European military capabilities decline, so Marvin Ott concluded his op-ed, “Th e From the U.S. perspective, it appears nuclear arsenal. Israel has opposed even centered in Brussels, that are unelected bu- will strategic ambitions. It seems likely that in Netanyahu Problem,” that negotiations be- discussing nuclear demilitarization until reaucracies. Th ose bureaucracies are invested the future, European security concerns will with the observation Commentary tween Israel and the there has been a settlement of Palestinian with real power over the lives of Europeans be limited to Europe itself and will involve that “a wiser Israeli Palestinian Authority issues and a regional peace agreement that and a great many people resent it when that such low intensity operations as controlling leader could seize the are on hold.

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