Congress and politicians in general have all-time low public approval ratings in what’s become an age of polarization, divisiveness and dysfunctional government. Yet before you think this is a contemporary phenomenon, consider some wit and wisdom from yesteryear.
Mark Twain observed, “It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.”
And Will Rogers had the legendary line, “America has the best politicians money can buy.”
Back in the days of Twain and Rogers, the norm included the stereotypical cigar smoke-filled backrooms where politicians and powerful special interests secretly made their deals. That still goes on–perhaps sans the tobacco–though there are at least some public disclosure rules which provide limited access to information as to who is meeting whom.
What is different about today is the secrecy behind very public support for candidates of various stripes and for stances on various pressing issues; this secrecy is embodied in the super political action committee (PAC) commercials backed by unidentified groups, unions, corporations and the like. It’s an outgrowth of that “corporations are people, too” Supreme Court ruling. Like people, they have the right to express viewpoints. But unlike you and me, they can express them often without attribution, under the cloak of anonymity so as to keep agendas hidden. And they have the money to make their voices heard loud and clear–the only clarity lacking relates to their identities.
Groups with nonprofit arms do not have to disclose their donors. And other groups required to provide such information don’t have to do so in a timely manner. (For instance, super PACS active in advertising during the Republican presidential primaries can hold off on disclosing the identities of their contributors until after those primaries are concluded.)
An Associated Press report quoted Trevor Potter, a former Republican Federal Election Commission commissioner, as saying, “It is secret money–you won’t know until after the primaries have occurred who helped fund them. Whether they’re doing this for the right or wrong reasons, it’s the opposite of what the disclosure system was designed to do.”
While this column has been a long-time supporter of the health of commercialmaking and the economic benefits it generates, we for the first time find ourselves not on the side of more ads if they are of the Super PAC variety.
Furthermore, with anonymity as an ally, such ads have grown increasingly negative, adding to the aforementioned polarization plaguing public discourse. Largely unidentified special interests now have a new conduit for influencing opinion, distorting issues and in some cases helping to buy elections.
Yet while this form of unattributed influence peddling is relatively new, at the same time there’s nothing all that new under the sun as evidenced by the observations of Twain, Rogers and Groucho Marx.
The latter, speaking in the 1933 movie Duck Soup in which he portrayed the president of the country Freedonia, made a simple campaign promise. I’m paraphrasing but the great Groucho’s pledge went something like this–there will be no graft unless I get my share.
Utah Leaders and Locals Rally To Keep Sundance Film Festival In The State
With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival underway, Utah leaders, locals and longtime attendees are making a final push — one that could include paying millions of dollars — to keep the world-renowned film festival as its directors consider uprooting.
Thousands of festivalgoers affixed bright yellow stickers to their winter coats that read "Keep Sundance in Utah" in a last-ditch effort to convince festival leadership and state officials to keep it in Park City, its home of 41 years.
Gov. Spencer Cox said previously that Utah would not throw as much money at the festival as other states hoping to lure it away. Now his office is urging the Legislature to carve out $3 million for Sundance in the state budget, weeks before the independent film festival is expected to pick a home for the next decade.
It could retain a small presence in picturesque Park City and center itself in nearby Salt Lake City, or move to another finalist — Cincinnati, Ohio, or Boulder, Colorado — beginning in 2027.
"Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance. You can't really separate those two," Cox said. "This is your home, and we desperately hope it will be your home forever."
Last year's festival generated about $132 million for the state of Utah, according to Sundance's 2024 economic impact report.
Festival Director Eugene Hernandez told reporters last week that they had not made a final decision. An announcement is expected this year by early spring.
Colorado is trying to further sweeten its offer. The state is considering legislation giving up to $34 million in tax incentives to film festivals like Sundance through 2036 — on top of the $1.5 million in funds already approved to lure the Utah festival to its neighboring... Read More