The screengrab above comes from a new super-PAC that says it's "[n]ot authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee." By law, this type of political group is allowed to receive unlimited donations, and in exchange, the group agrees to remain independent of any candidate. As Michael Isikoff has been reporting, Make Us Great Again told federal elections officials that the PAC would support or oppose more than one politician.
But you can figure out who they're really for, right? Make Us Great Again was co-founded by Governor Rick Perry's former chief-of-staff, and he does seem to have wedged his boss' name and photo on the website an awful lot.
Last night on the show, Mr. Isikoff explained that one person's money laundering is another's free speech. Super PACS like this one have quickly become the way we run elections now, across the political spectrum. The Supreme Court changed the landscape of campaign finance law with its Citizens United ruling last year. Or maybe we should say they Supreme Court sent campaign finance way, way back in time.
"It's not that we're one or two steps back," Mr. Isikoff says. "We're nine steps back from where we were at the time of McCain/Feingold, that banned soft money, large contributions to the political parties. Now, they can go to these super PACs. Now, they can come directly from corporate coffers.
"Many of these operations like Priorities USA, the Obama one, and certainly Crossroads on the Republican side, have secret money arms, 501c4 where the same money can be donated unrestricted and it won't even be disclosed. It won't even be reported.
"So we are truly back to the days of before Watergate, where special interests and big money have more influence than ever before in American politics."
The full clip's after the jump.