Washington Post editorial: “Pay-to-play politics reach the Oval Office”
The Washington Post
Pay-to-play politics reach the Oval Office
By Editorial Board–
They will now disclose the names of those who donate $250 or more to the new advocacy group Organizing for Action, which is intended to advance the president’s second-term agenda. Jim Messina, the group’s national chairman, promises to post the donors’ names and the precise amount of their donation quarterly on the group’s Web site. This transparency is critical to avoid the corrupting influence of hidden contributions. If someone wants to put $1 million or more on the table as a way of seeking influence with the president, at least it will now be visible.
The new tax-exempt organization is being formed under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, a broad category for tax-exempt “social welfare” groups. Federal rules do not require public disclosure of donors and amounts to such groups, as would be required if they were operating under the rules of the Federal Election Commission. Some other organizations formed in this category, such as Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS, have kept the names of their donors secret.
Mr. Messina has portrayed the new group as a grass-roots counterweight to the “special interests” and an attempt to “rebalance the power structure” away from the “highest paid lobbyists on K Street.” Undoubtedly, Mr. Obama has a valuable tool in his enthusiastic, Internet-savvy army of followers. But by soliciting unlimited contributions from individuals, and giving them access to the White House, Mr. Obama undermines the claim that he is above the special interests and comes across as just another hawker in the unlimited-money sweepstakes.