Christie's new pay-to-play organization

by: Hopeful

Tue Jun 08, 2010 at 10:00:00 AM EDT

So, a group of Republicans going by the name "Reform Jersey Now" is running ads in favor of Chris Christie's agenda. Not much new there -- after all, many TV ads for Christie were paid for by the RGA, not Christie's official campaign -- but what I think is interesting is that unlike the RGA (or the DGA) this group evades both state and federal campaign finance laws.

The "chief strategist" of the Christie campaign explained how the scheme works to NJ.com:

As a 501(c)(4) organization, the group is not required to publicly disclose its donors. [Mike] DuHaime said it will voluntarily disclose donor information to state and federal regulators at least once a year, but declined to say when that would begin.
He said the group can accept unlimited contributions and will not restrict them based on New Jersey's pay-to-play laws, which ban those with state contracts worth more than $17,500 from donating more than $300 to statewide campaigns. "We're going to fully disclose, so people can make their own judgment on it," DuHaime said.

Contributions need not come from people: Democrats point out that the website asks for corporate money. I suspect there may not be any actual disclosure next year, nor need a "voluntary" disclosure be complete. (Here's a good example of how a 501(c)(4) was used to "pay to play" in Florida. The donors were kept secret.)

Eliminating the independent State Commission of Investigation and soliciting unlimited donations sends a very clear message. This is not going to end well.

Hopeful :: Christie's new pay-to-play organization

Tags: Chris Christie, Mike DuHaime, Reform Jersey Now, corruption, campaign finance, 501(c)(4), (All Tags)

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Christie's new pay-to-play organization | 2 comments

Call your legislators (0.00 / 0)

People are being too silent about Christie's cuts. Call your state Senator and Reps up and tell them that you would rather see no budget than let Christie get his way. Don't fall into a trap answering what cuts would you be in favor of. Christie is not bargaining fairly; there's no reason to give in to anything.

by: rjsnj @ Tue Jun 08, 2010 at 20:01:57 PM UTC

"The arc of the moral universe is long but..." (0.00 / 0)

Our form of government is often referred to as a representative democracy founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to either autocracy or direct democracy. In NJ where Governor Christie seems to have a predilection for autocracy and where the sheer number of residents makes direct democracy impossible, neither of these two latter forms of government are appropriate.

Nonetheless our representative democracy in which the governor and legislators are responsible for acting in the people's interest becomes endangered when they listen more to corporate or "special interest" groups. 501 (c) 4's, the Supreme Court's Citizen United ruling, and the huge donations to politicians which often imply "pay to play" are an increasing threat to good government. Americans will have to reform their representative government, and it will take time, but it is essential to do so in order that the arc of the moral universe bend toward justice.

"The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." - Sen. Ted Kennedy

by: Bill Orr @ Tue Jun 08, 2010 at 20:37:42 PM UTC