And flooding the political system with secret money invites corruption and scandal. Obscure, undercover corporate dealings helped usher in the financial meltdown that still plagues us today.
TALKING POINT MEMO FREE
A basic principle still holds: Transparency is vital to democracy and even free markets. Let’s also acknowledge that public reporting rules of any kind must respect the First Amendment.īut clumsily written rules or bills do not justify the sweeping culture of secrecy that many self-styled free speech champions now advocate. Let’s acknowledge that the disclosure rules on the table, from President Obama’s draft executive order to force more reporting on government contractors, to the so-far unsuccessful Disclose Act, might or might not strike the right balance. For corporations, trade associations, and politically active nonprofits, secretive political spending carries significant practical and reputational risks. It’s also profoundly dangerous and self destructive. It’s an argument that flies in the face of common sense, public opinion and legal precedent. Now they have a new talking point: Anonymity is essential to the First Amendment. Not too long ago, Republicans on Capitol Hill championed deregulation coupled with disclosure as the solution to the campaign finance mess. This pro-secrecy drumbeat takes the ongoing assault on election laws to a new extreme.
The Center for Competitive Politics has accused reform advocates of attempting “to strip away the right of citizens to privately associate and support organizations that share their values.” The Wall Street Journal has accused the White House of using disclosure to attack the First Amendment rights of its political opponents. Once a bipartisan touchstone, campaign finance disclosure rules are now the target of court challenges, lawmakers, and opinion leaders on the right. It’s become popular in certain circles to assail political transparency as a nefarious threat to free speech. The argument that secrecy and non-disclosure are necessary to uphold the First Amendment rings hollow.