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One Swift Kick: The Role and Impact of 527 Groups in the 2004 Presidential Election
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ABSTRACT
Perhaps the biggest change in the world of presidential campaign finance coming out of the 2004 elections was the emergence of 527 groups. These groups, filling a vacuum caused by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act's (BCRA) ban on soft money previously raised by the national political parties, became the predominant means for many wealthy individuals and groups to influence the course of the presidential election. The issue of the appropriate role for 527 groups came to a head when one such group, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, ran controversial advertisements questioning Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's war record in Vietnam. The issues surrounding the actions of 527 groups like Swift Boat that emerged from the 2004 campaign actually appear less quixotic when placed into the context of growing changes in presidential election dynamics that have transpired since the 1996 presidential election. The dynamics spurred by changes in the break down of public financing, which once appeared to affect only the nomination stage, have now come to bare on the general election as well. Swift Boat and those groups like it “kicked” open the door for special interests, without the intermediary of the parties, to engage directly in the presidential campaigns, become integral to the process, and potentially be a major player going forward. While reason enough for concern, with the advent the “permanent campaign” that pervades presidential governance today, these special interest groups now have a systemic basis by which to affect what transpires long after the general election is over.
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| | Authors: Farrar-Myers, Victoria. |
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1
ABSTRACT
Perhaps the biggest change in the world of presidential campaign finance coming
out of the 2004 elections was the emergence of 527 groups. These groups, filling
a vacuum caused by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act's (BCRA) ban on soft
money previously raised by the national political parties, became the
predominant means for many wealthy individuals and groups to influence the
course of the presidential election. The issue of the appropriate role for 527
groups came to a head when one such group, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth,
ran controversial advertisements questioning Democratic presidential candidate
John Kerry's war record in Vietnam. The issues surrounding the actions of 527
groups like Swift Boat that emerged from the 2004 campaign actually appear less
quixotic when placed into the context of growing changes in presidential election
dynamics that have transpired since the 1996 presidential election.
The dynamics spurred by changes in the break down of public financing, which
once appeared to affect only the nomination stage, have now come to bare on
the general election as well. Swift Boat and those groups like it “kicked” open the
door for special interests, without the intermediary of the parties, to engage
directly in the presidential campaigns, become integral to the process, and
potentially be a major player going forward. While reason enough for concern,
with the advent the “permanent campaign” that pervades presidential governance
today, these special interest groups now have a systemic basis by which to affect
what transpires long after the general election is over.
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