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.
Trump Asks Supreme Court To Delay TikTok Ban
President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a "political resolution" to the issue.
The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk.
"President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act's deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case," said Trump's amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case and was written by D. John Sauer, Trump's choice for solicitor general.
The argument submitted to the court is the latest example of Trump inserting himself in national issues before he takes office. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiating with other countries over his plans to impose tariffs, and he intervened earlier this month in a plan to fund the federal government, calling for a bipartisan plan to be rejected and sending Republicans back to the negotiating table.
He has been holding meetings with foreign leaders and business officials at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida while he assembles his administration, including a meeting last week with TikTok CEO Shou Chew.
Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined the TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger... Read More