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Posted 10/22/2012
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Crossroads to Corruption: Crossing State Lines

Super PACs and secretive non-profits corrupt democracy, and Crossroads GPS is leading the charge.

One of the tenets of modern American conservatism is the autonomy of

Money in Politics, Moneyed Interest, PAC, Super PAC

The Crossroads Network founded by Karl Rove is will be the largest monetary influencing factor for the American Right in the upcoming elction.

states’ rights. Even so, one of the largest, most infamous groups in the country is exerting moneyed influence across several state lines. Crossroads GPS is a conservative super PAC, one of the myriad corruption peddlers born of the Citizens United ruling in 2010. Karl Rove’s “American Crossroads” group has its fiscal hands in at least eight different state congressional races while maintaining substantial influence in the presidential election.

These states include Missouri, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Maine, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. Rove’s 501(c) organizations have also bought out huge “issue ads” against Obama and the Democrats in Iowa, Nevada, Michigan, Florida and North Carolina. Even further, they have recently launched an ad buy in almost all of the swing states targeting women. Even so, the most worrisome element, as the Sunlight foundation reports, is that:

The Crossroads network has spent approximately [$174 million] on the 2012 election and almost three out of every four dollars (70.5%) of this organization’s spending has come from anonymous donors.

This sum essentially ensures that Crossroads will be the most influential outside group in this election cycle. To illustrate: Crossroads has doubled the spending of the pro-Romney super PAC Restore our Future and may even outpace the incredible performance of the Republican National Committee.

The Crossroads groups have pledged $300 million to influence the 2012 election. With the average Senate seat costing around $10 million, it’s not only problematic that this single entity can have so much influence in so many different states,  but it’s also clearly paving the way to corruption after November 6th.

Michael Spahr is an intern at United Republic who recently moved to Amherst, MA in order to further pursue work in campaign finance reform and transparency in government. He is currently finishing a major in Pre-Law at the University of Massachusetts, while continuing to do social justice and advocacy work.

» It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like… Corruption
» Pressure from Big Energy to Bring the DNC to Charlotte
» The King of Money in Politics

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Comments

  • Equaltime

    What about the Democrat money machine, their super-pacs and unions that are sucking the life out of our states, counties and municipalities? It seems to me that these are the real “pigs” at the trough. And, Obama has been running for re-election for at least 12 months doing nothing about the real problems facing America. Money may be a problem but Democrats have already raised more from big donors and pacs, so doesn’t that make them part of the problem?

    • Indiana Pearl

      Please cite your sources that Democrats have more money from donors.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Aroyo/100003443661447 Jim Aroyo

      Equaltime, I was glad to see Obama get re-elected. Crossroads and other right wing slime will have to deal with it for four more years.

    • johnrysf

      Yes, of course, the Democrats are also suspect, though yesterday I saw a recap that said, comparing Romney’s and Obama’s campaigns, MR spent more overall than BHO, MR raised more from PAC’s and big donors than BHO, and small donors’ contributions were relatively negligible for MR, but huge for BHO.

      The real problem with financing in this Presidential election wasn’t the “‘pigs’ at the trough”, it was the Citizens United decision that created a competition that ended up dumping $2B into the trough.

      A POTUS “doing nothing” for a year? Sure.

      btw, your use of “Democrat” as an adjective is incorrect. “Democrat” is a proper noun, like “Republican”. You should have used the adjective “Democratic”. But you know this, of course. You’re just emulating GOP leaders, from the top down, who think this little dog whistle insult is clever.

      Your post is short, and I read very quickly, so I read your entire post in the same instant that I was stumbling over your use of “Democrat”. As I am more than 12 years old, when I hear/read this usage, I usually have an involuntary, immediate reaction in which I stop listening/reading. Stemming from the second time I heard this during the 2008 election season, there is a bias in me wherein I automatically expect that whatever follows is stupid crap – perhaps hateful – written by some stupid jerk. And, therefore, it isn’t worth listening/reading more.

      Thought you’d like to know – no need to thank me.

    • http://www.facebook.com/wdepp Will Depp

      No, a Union is it’s millions of members, Koch bros is two rich dudes.

  • http://www.facebook.com/wdepp Will Depp

    A lot of good all the money did them, Obama won and big!

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