Overview

The first book of its kind to provide an accessible overview of the changes Citizens United brought to political campaigns and political representation, it combines rigorous academic research with many examples of ongoing trends from the campaign trail. Even though campaign finance involves complex legal issues, the book is set up to be engaging for both students of political campaigns and American politics, as well as civically engaged citizens who want to learn more about outside groups and their impact on campaigns and public policy. The book makes the case that Super PACs and dark money groups qualify as game changers of political campaigns not only because of what these groups can do independently from candidates and their increasing ability to match or even exceed candidates’ financial resources, but because their actions influence the political incentives and strategies of candidates and political parties. We also point out evidence that those changes go beyond campaigns—they affect how legislators represent their constituents; how donors put pressure on lawmakers to adopt certain legislation after outside groups supported them; how the regulatory environment can benefit donors as a result of actions taken by federal agencies to repeal or dismantle existing laws; and how extreme positions by politicians can be incentivized and progress stalled when megadonors and outside groups reward political ideologues. Our hope is that this text inspires readers to draw their own conclusions about the effects the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision has had and continues to have on the inner workings of American democracy. Some may even feel moved to take action that will empower ordinary citizens who want to have more of a voice in the democratic process. Given the high stakes associated with elections and the political changes they can bring due to the highly polarized political environment we live in, we believe that this book will add value to not only courses focusing on campaigns, elections, interest groups, and political communication, but also other courses such as introductory American Government courses.

Full Product Details

Author:   Henrik M. Schatzinger ,  Steven E. Martin
Publisher:   Rowman & Littlefield
Imprint:   Rowman & Littlefield
Dimensions:   Width: 16.30cm , Height: 1.90cm , Length: 22.80cm
Weight:   0.503kg
ISBN:  

9781538136171

ISBN 10:   1538136171
Pages:   252
Publication Date:   18 February 2020
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
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Table of Contents

Preface About the Authors 1. Super PACs and Dark Money as Game Changers Understanding Differences Among Groups Trump vs Pro-Trump Groups How are Campaigns Changing? Campaign Finance Candidate-Group Signaling, Group-Group Coordination, and Candidate-Voter Communication Effects on Political Parties Dark Money Groups and Anonymity Representation and Political Influence Conclusion Additional Reading 2. The First Amendment and Legal Issues First Amendment Theory The Marketplace of Ideas Model The Self-Governance Model The Liberty Model Significant Legislation and Court Cases The Federal Election Campaign Act Buckley v. Valeo (1976) Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v. FEC The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life Inc. (2007) Citizens United v. FEC (2010) SpeechNow v. FEC (2010) McCutcheon v. FEC (2014) Legal Issues Related to Political Campaigns: Four Tensions To What Extent Should “Corporations” Have First Amendment Rights? (When) Should Money be Protected as Speech? Where Should We Draw the Lines of Responsiveness and Corruption? Campaign Transparency: Do Voters Have a Right to Know Who Is Funding Campaign-Related Speech? Conclusion Additional Reading 3. Donors, Group Expenditures, and Representation Donors Super PAC Donors Super PAC Recipients Dark Money Donors Dark Money Recipients Group Expenditures Purpose of Super PAC Expenditures Ideological Breakdown of Dark Money Spending Political Activity Versus Social Welfare Nonprofits’ Political Spending and Activities Implications of Findings “So What?” Effects on Candidates and Representation Conclusion Additional Reading 4. New Trends in Presidential Campaigns Democratic Candidates, Trump, and Outside Groups in the 2020 Presidential Campaign New Trends Since Citizens United Playing the Delay Game The Staff Shell Game The New Money Primary The Presidential Primary Vacuum The Increasing Importance of Leadership PACs Playing Pinball with Joint Fundraising Committees Official Party Committees Super PAC Activities Without Coordination Super PACs Versus Incumbent Presidents During the Primaries The Republican Conundrum: Super PAC Help vs. Damaged Goods Theory Coordinated Expenditures and the Parties’ Ground Game The Small Donor Revolution Conclusion Additional Reading 5. New Trends in Congressional Campaigns What We Know From the Literature Congressional Campaign Trends Since Citizens United Independent Expenditures The Electoral Strategy: A Focus on Competitive Races and the Ideological Composition of Congress Organizational Diversity Among Super PACs and Its Impact Organized Blitz Campaigns and Continuous Ad Firestorms Super PACs Disclosing their Donors After an Election Effects on Political Parties Outside Group Effect Conclusion Additional Reading 6. Political Advertising in the Post-Citizens United Era Outside Group Advertisements in Federal Elections Since 2010 2010: Congressional Midterm Elections 2012: Presidential and Congressional Elections 2014: Congressional Midterm Elections 2016: Presidential and Congressional Elections 2018: Congressional Midterm Elections Anonymity and Accountability Astroturfing Deception in the Content of Group Ads Why Disclosure Matters Digital Political Advertising Native Advertising Microtargeting Foreign Dark Money and Digital Advertising The Tone and Content of Political Ads Tone and Content in Outside Group Ads Case Study: The 2018 Florida Senate Race Case Study: Outside Groups Against Trump in 2020 Does Political Advertising Matter? Free Media Coverage Conclusion Additional Reading 7. Ideas for Reform Increase “Hard Money” Contribution Limits Variation: Allow Parties and PACs but Not Candidates to Receive Increased Donations Problems Hard Money Contribution Increases Can Reduce Public Funding Fully Funded Public Elections Matching Funds Partial Public Funding Tax Incentives Vouchers Drawbacks of Public Funding Benefits of Public Funding Super PAC and Independent Expenditure Insurance Drawbacks of Super PAC Insurance Benefits of Super PAC Insurance Legislative Recusal Drawbacks of Recusal Rules Benefits of Recusal Rules Disclosure Reform Reporting and Collecting Donor and Expenditure Information A Disclosure Plan for Better Dissemination Disclaimers Digital Ad Disclaimers Drawbacks of Enhanced Disclosure and a Compromise Benefits of Better Disclosure Federal Election Commission Reform Judicial Reform Conclusion Additional Reading Index

Reviews

Students and citizens want to understand the role of money in politics. But the rules and strategies keep changing. Game Changers offers the updated answers to today's most important campaign finance questions, with a close eye on recent changes and their implications for democracy.--Matt Grossmann, Michigan State University The complex and changing rules of campaign finance in the United States demand books like Game Changers provide clear explanations for a broad audience of readers. The book delivers on this challenge with timely, readable, and expert analysis of the ways money and politics interact, as well as a sober assessment of an array of democratic reforms.--Heath Brown, John Jay College The financing of political campaigns has changed in bewildering ways in the past decade. Game Changers is an essential guide to making sense of these changes. Schatzinger and Martin show how candidates, parties, groups, and donors have adapted to the world of Super PACs, and they carefully consider how future reforms might work. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned with the role of money in politics.--Robert G. Boatright, Clark University

Students and citizens want to understand the role of money in politics. But the rules and strategies keep changing. Game Changers offers the updated answers to today's most important campaign finance questions, with a close eye on recent changes and their implications for democracy.--Matt Grossmann, Michigan State University The complex and changing rules of campaign finance in the United States demand books like Game Changers provide clear explanations for a broad audience of readers. The book delivers on this challenge with timely, readable, and expert analysis of the ways money and politics interact, as well as a sober assessment of an array of democratic reforms.--Heath Brown, John Jay College The financing of political campaigns has changed in bewildering ways in the past decade. Game Changers is an essential guide to making sense of these changes. Schatzinger and Martin show how candidates, parties, groups, and donors have adapted to the world of Super PACs, and they carefully consider how future reforms might work. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned with the role of money in politics.--Robert G. Boatright, Clark University Students and citizens want to understand the role of money in politics. But the rules and strategies keep changing. Game Changers offers the updated answers to today's most important campaign finance questions, with a close eye on recent changes and their implications for democracy. The complex and changing rules of campaign finance in the United States demand books like Game Changers provide clear explanations for a broad audience of readers. The book delivers on this challenge with timely, readable, and expert analysis of the ways money and politics interact, as well as a sober assessment of an array of democratic reforms. The financing of political campaigns has changed in bewildering ways in the past decade. Game Changers is an essential guide to making sense of these changes. Schatzinger and Martin show how candidates, parties, groups, and donors have adapted to the world of Super PACs, and they carefully consider how future reforms might work. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned with the role of money in politics.

The complex and changing rules of campaign finance in the United States demand books like Game Changers provide clear explanations for a broad audience of readers. The book delivers on this challenge with timely, readable, and expert analysis of the ways money and politics interact, as well as a sober assessment of an array of democratic reforms.--Heath Brown, John Jay College The financing of political campaigns has changed in bewildering ways in the past decade. Game Changers is an essential guide to making sense of these changes. Schatzinger and Martin show how candidates, parties, groups, and donors have adapted to the world of Super PACs, and they carefully consider how future reforms might work. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned with the role of money in politics.--Robert G. Boatright, Clark University Students and citizens want to understand the role of money in politics. But the rules and strategies keep changing. Game Changers offers the updated answers to today's most important campaign finance questions, with a close eye on recent changes and their implications for democracy.--Matt Grossmann, Michigan State University

Author Information

Henrik M. Schatzinger is associate professor and chair of politics and government at Ripon College, where he teaches and conducts research on interest groups and money in politics. He is also codirector of the Center for Politics and the People at Ripon College, which organizes numerous events to promote constructive political debate. Schatzinger’s research has examined the timing of campaign contributions and as a research analyst for the Campaign Finance Institute (2008–9), he has examined how democracy can be strengthened through small donors and volunteers. A new article coauthored by Schatzinger on lobbying for federal contracts is forthcoming in Social Science Quarterly. Schatzinger is teaching courses on campaigns and elections, interest groups, and money in politics. Steven E. Martin holds a PhD in rhetoric from Penn State University. He is professor of communication at Ripon College, where he teaches courses on presidential rhetoric and political campaigns. He has authored articles and book chapters, most recently about Scott Walker’s anti-union discourse and Colin Kaepernick’s conflict with the NFL.

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