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I found this exit interview former House Speaker John Boehner did with Time Magazine in October 2015 and found one Q&A he gave to be quite interesting:
I found his comment to be very spot on because it mirrors in sum what author and investigative journalist, Peter Schweizer, wrote about in his book, "Extortion" where Congress bends campaign finance rules to get donor money from Corporate America and/or corporate lobbyist one way or another. And the dark money stays dark because you never really know where it comes from.
If you haven't read the book, you really should. It lifts the veil off dirty politics and reveals in grand detail how politicians use "pay-to-play" on a regular basis. It's no wonder Boehner wanted to leave Congress and why Speaker Ryan made it clear he wasn't going to take time away from his family: The Speaker of the House spends the bulk of his time fundraising! And dark money plays a big part of those fundraising campaigns.
So, my question is "Should (or will) campaign finance reform (ever) be re-initiated in Congress?
Time Q. You’re named king for a day and you can wave a magic wand and do any kind of institutional reform, what is it?
Boehner A. I always thought McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform has helped cause a lot of this mess that we see because it took money out of parties and gave it to these independent organizations that are accountable to no one. So if you really want to reform the system, get rid of all campaign finance laws except one: any dollar that you spend on behalf of a candidate has to be disclosed. Let sunlight be the best disinfectant. Because these limits don’t work, people go around them. Money goes to outside super PACs. It's a joke. As long as Washington has the power that it has, it’s going to attract money; it's like water seeking its own level.
I found his comment to be very spot on because it mirrors in sum what author and investigative journalist, Peter Schweizer, wrote about in his book, "Extortion" where Congress bends campaign finance rules to get donor money from Corporate America and/or corporate lobbyist one way or another. And the dark money stays dark because you never really know where it comes from.
If you haven't read the book, you really should. It lifts the veil off dirty politics and reveals in grand detail how politicians use "pay-to-play" on a regular basis. It's no wonder Boehner wanted to leave Congress and why Speaker Ryan made it clear he wasn't going to take time away from his family: The Speaker of the House spends the bulk of his time fundraising! And dark money plays a big part of those fundraising campaigns.
So, my question is "Should (or will) campaign finance reform (ever) be re-initiated in Congress?
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