“[T]he Federal Election Commission has shown itself to be virtually incapable of ensuring transparency in campaign finance,” write the “View” editors at Bloomberg Media. “[I]t would be nice if someone else picked up the slack.” The editors think they have the answer. They note that the Federal Communications Commission “has proposed requiring broadcasters to post online the name of anyone who buys time for political advertising along with the purchase price and airdates. It’s an excellent idea, made more salient in an era of shady super-PACs.”
But their misinformed musing relies heavily on lazy and incorrect generalizations about the laws that govern “shady super-PACs.” Not only will their proposed solution fail to solve the problem they think exists, but it could actually help super-PACs do more for the candidates they support and against the ones they oppose.
