Seven Democrats are pushing a bill that would expose the Koch brothers and the network of ads by requiring more disclosure from shady groups that are protected by Citizens United.
The Hill reported:
Seven Democratic senators introduced legislation that would require the Federal Communications Commission to increase disclosures on political ads.
The Sunshine in Sponsorship Identification Act in the Senate has a less hostile name than the House’s Keep Our Campaigns Honest (KOCH), an apparent knock at GOP mega-donors Charles and David Koch.
The bill, led by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), resembles the House proposal that would require new FCC regulations to force political groups to list the identity of their “true sponsors” when they run advertisements.
It would also require the FCC to update its identification rules to reflect current technology and consider forcing political groups to disclosure more identifying information online.
Six other Senate Democrats are cosponsoring the bill. Sens. Blumenthal (D-CT), Markey (D-MA), McCaskill (D-MO), Peters (D-MI), Warren (D-MA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) have all put their names on the effort to expose the Kochs.
This legislation is a great reminder that the dark money system created by Citizens United thrives on the lack of disclosure. The system is constructed to deceive voters. Ads that create the appearance that millions of people are supporting a position are in many cases representing the views of one of a few wealthy donors.
If the Koch brothers had to put their names on their advertising so that people knew who was funding what they are watching, it would be a game changer. Getting big money out of the nation’s elections should be the ultimate goal, but simple disclosure laws can immediately have a major impact.
Republicans oppose any form of dark money disclosure because even the slightest disclosure could topple their house of cards. The Republican Party is fueled by big money billionaire donors. If voters could easily understand that those ominous ads, they are seeing are brought to them by billionaires who don’t have their best interests at heart.
Disclosure is the light that Republicans and the Koch brothers fear the most, and Democrats are going to keep up the fight until the hostile oligarchic takeover of the United States government is defeated.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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