There's more, of course, much more. They've found their way around the nation's few existing campaign laws. For decades, federal laws have prohibited corporations and unions from making direct contributions in connection with federal elections. Now they send their cash through a huge loophole known as soft money. That allows corporations, unions or anyone else to make unlimited contributions to political parties to spend on campaign ads masquerading as issue discussion, political research, polling and other activities that influence elections.
Soft money ought to be banned.
That's the most important campaign reform that should pass this Congress. Two other campaign reforms also ought to pass in this Congress. The first would increase the limits on what is called hard money, the regulated, fully disclosed campaign contributions to candidates. Some who oppose a ban on soft money claim that it's necessary because of the tight limits on hard money. It's time to erase that argument.