Bradley A. Smith
Bradley A. Smith
Bradley A. Smithis the Josiah H. Blackmore II/Shirley M. Nault Professor at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. He previously served as Commissioner, Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Federal Election Commissionbetween 2000 and 2005. He is best known for his writing and activities opposing campaign finance regulation...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPublic Servant
CountryUnited States of America
disclose groups planned required super
By law, super PACs are required to disclose their donors. There are groups that have never had to disclose their donors, non-profits such as the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, the NAACP, and the NRA. If you want more disclosure, super PACs are a step forward.
bill
Americans may not always live up to the Bill of Rights, but Americans do not ban books.
campaigns elections interest number races seen super voter
With super PACs, we've seen voter turnout go up; interest in elections rise; and the number of competitive races increase. The campaigns of 2010 and 2012 have been more issue-oriented than their predecessors, not less.
activity played theories unlike
Unlike many in the conservative camp, I accept theories of global warming, and accept that man-made activity has played a part in global warming. My differences have only been on what the solutions should be.
competition good super tend
Incumbents don't like it, but political competition is a good thing. Incumbents usually outspend challengers by better than 3 to 1. Super PACs, which tend to support challengers, have nullified some of this advantage.
campaign church civilian commitment constitution court doctrine explicit flows freedom heading naturally separation state structure
Ultimately, the court is heading to a doctrine of 'separation of campaign and state.' This doctrine, like separation of church and state or separation of military and civilian authority, is not explicit in the Constitution but flows naturally from its structure and commitment to freedom and democracy.
vilified
Few developments in campaigning have been as vilified and misunderstood as independent expenditure PACs, or, as they are colloquially known, super PACs.
campaign counts existed federal obligation usual whether
The usual test under the Federal Election Campaign Act for whether something counts as a campaign expenditure is whether the obligation would have existed but for the campaign. If so, it is not a campaign expenditure.