GOP Needs The Super-PACs To Compete

The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs. FEC allowed for the creation of super-PACs (where unlimited contributions can be collected from corporations and rich individuals to back the campaign of an individual candidate). The only restriction to this is that the super-PACs can't be directly tied to the candidate's official campaign (although Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart showed us all how easily that can be gotten around with just a wink and a nod). The effect of these super-PACs is to give the rich a much bigger voice in the campaign than ordinary citizens (who can only donate small amounts).

But even a cursory glance at presidential campaign fund-raising totals show that the Republicans may need the super-PACs to compete against President Obama in 2012, because they simply cannot come close to matching his contributions from small donors going directly to a campaign. The following numbers are the amounts of money donated to individual campaigns in 2011 -- for President Obama and the remaining four Republican presidential candidates:

President Obama...............$125,225,410

Mitt Romney...............$56,465,509
Ron Paul...............$25,901,305
Newt Gingrich...............$12,648,565
Rick Santorum...............$2,178,703
TOTAL OF ALL FOUR...............$97,194,082

In 2011, President Obama raised $28,031,328 more than all four of the Republicans combined. When it comes to donations going directly to his campaign (where a maximum of $2500 can be given), Obama far surpasses any of the Republican candidates (and about 56% of Obama's donations are from people who gave less than $200). And it is doubtful that any of the Republicans can match the president in campaign donations in 2012 either -- even after a nominee has been chosen.

This is why I say the Republicans need the super-PACs to compete this year. They can't compete in the number of individual donors, but they will get a lot of rich people and corporations donating huge sums through the super-PACs. And that super-PAC money will give them plenty of money to compete -- probably more money than the president has. That is why the president has given his blessing to Democratic super-PACs.

The super-PACs should be outlawed because they hurry us along the path toward a plutocracy (where they rich have total control over government). But as long as they are legal and the Republicans are using them, the Democrats must use them also. Hopefully, enough Democrats (progressive Democrats) will be elected in 2012 to rid us of this super-PAC scourge -- even if it requires a constitutional amendment. Rich people should not have a bigger voice in government than others simply because they are rich.