The ads criticized McCain s environmental record and touted Bush as a more progressive environmentalist. Wyly and his brother Charles were the two major backers of the ads. Had they not stepped forward, the group would never have had to reveal who was behind the last-minute campaign that affected the Super Tuesday results. Like the hypothetical object, from which neither light nor matter can escape, these groups operate with invisibility and anonymity, using a section of the law that is larger than any minor campaign finance loophole. Political parties, political action committees and candidate-campaign committees were the original incarnation of the 527.
Language makes all the difference.
To avoid disclosure and limits, the groups must avoid these words. In 1997, the IRS conducted fifty audits on tax-exempt interest groups suspected of too much political involvement. Lacy s firm placed an ad in February s Campaigns and Elections , a magazine aimed at campaigning professionals, advertising its expertise in creating 527 soft money funds. The thrill of non-disclosure also entices foreign groups wishing to influence U.S. political races. A major financial incentive exists as well.