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Does money unfairly influence our political process?
Teaching about Campaign Finance
Deliberation Activities (recommended: "Take a Stand" and "Debate")
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Background
| Following the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case, the growth of Super PACS, and the influx of negative ads this campaign season, many Americans are concerned about the influence of money on our electoral system and our democracy itself. Others point out that wealthy individuals, corporations, and labor unions have always influenced politics and point to the loopholes of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act as the origin of unlimited contributions. Does money = speech, and do any restrictions on campaign contributions violate the First Amendment? Does money buy too much influence in our political system? Take a balanced approach to these issues with your students by using our Money in Politics lesson plan. Have your students watch C-SPAN video clips, read articles expressing both sides, and engage in a deliberation in your classroom. |
This video is about 2-minutes long.
Background information: Wikipedia, Times Topics
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission - U.S. Supreme Court Media
American Tradition Partnership, INC v. Bullock - U.S. Supreme Court Media
A Guide to the Current Rules for Federal Elections - The Campaign Legal Center
SUPPORT Citizens United  This video is about 2 minutes long.  Articles supporting Citizens United:
| OPPOSE Citizens United  This video is about 2 minutes long.  Articles opposing Citizens United:
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Citizens United Decision Profoundly Affects Political Landscape, Open Secrets
Experts assess impact of Citizens United, Harvard Gazette
Experts assess impact of Citizens United, Harvard Gazette
Money in Politics After Citizens United: Troubling Trends & Possible Solutions, Brennan Center for Justice
State Laws Affected by Citizens United, National Conference of State Legislatures
Unleashing the Campaign Contributions of Corporations, New York Times
How Much Has Citizens United Changed the Political Game?, New York Times
Losing faith on campaign finance, Politico
Mitt Romney's campaign-finance evolution, Politico
“Fixing” Citizens United Will Break the Constitution, American Civil Liberties Union
Politico Influence: Intelligence and Analysis on Lobbying, Politico
http://www.publicintegrity.org/ Center for Public Integrity
Politico Influence: Intelligence and Analysis on Lobbying, Politico
http://www.publicintegrity.org/ Center for Public Integrity
Interactives
The 2012 Money Race: Compare the Candidates, The New York Times
Campaign Finance Explorer, The Washington Post
2012 Presidential Race, Open Secrets
Additional Programming:
Campaign Financing and Political Ads
Panelists talked about campaign spending by and political ads of the Obama and Romney campaigns. Topics included super political action committees (super PACs) and the Citizens United case, and the impact of negative campaign ads. At the end of the program the panelists talked about some of their favorite ads from previous campaigns.