They made headlines in the presidential organization when a group of organized Republicans funded “Swift Boats for Truth” to launch a missive against Senator Kerry.
527 organizations are named after 26 U.S.C. § 527 – basically section 527 of the Tax Code (the Tax Code is Title 26). Generally, tax exempt organizations are not allowed to participate in significant political activities (remember the hullaboo over Huckabee). However, 527 organizations have as their purpose to influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office. They are also not regulated by the Federal Election Commission and are not subject to the same contribution limits as PACs. One of the few regulations is that they may not be governed by candidates or committees affiliated with candidates.
Sounds appealing, right? Despite their bad name (and I think, terrible premise), candidates love 527 organizations because it’s a fast way to dump money into a campaign quickly – with fewer restrictions.
This year, Democratic strategists are jumping on the bandwagon early. As Obama’s coffers continue to fill, Clinton’s deep pocketed supporters are scrambling to bolster her profile in Texas, Ohio and my own state of Pennsylvania. On February 15, they incorporated American Leadership Project, a 527 organization which intends to run ads categorizing Obama as “thinker rather than a doer.”
What do you think? Are 527 orgs ever appropriate? Is this Senator Clinton’s last chance?
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NO! 527’s and PAC’s are destroying the policitical system, and corrupting politicians, with their vast monies and influence. Too bad we don’t adopt monetary limits on political campaigns as well as time limits (how long a campaign can run) and term limits. Unfortunately, most politicians appear to believe they are entitled to “life-time appointments” by the voters, to the point it is a profession now, versus what the Founding Fathers had in mind.