Would this be an illegal use of campaign funds (1 Viewer)

[samiam5211]

Do any of the legal nerds know if this would be legal?

What if instead of using funds to buy ads the cendidates used the money to give to the community they were hoping to represent. Thinks like buying up property and donating it to a city or a non profit that was goign to turn it into a park or community center, or something like that.

It would be like trickle down economics for politics.

So much money goes into politics that could be put to more productive use.

I assume this would be illegal because I'm sure it would already be a thing if it was legal.

Especially now, since there is so much free coverage of politics in the media overload world we live in today.

 

[LA - L.A.]

There's no way to not have a movie spoiler with my response so:

Movie Spoiler

If you watch https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9076562/, you'll get some of your question answered.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Do any of the legal nerds know if this would be legal?

What if instead of using funds to buy ads the cendidates used the money to give to the community they were hoping to represent. Thinks like buying up property and donating it to a city or a non profit that was goign to turn it into a park or community center, or something like that.

It would be like trickle down economics for politics.

So much money goes into politics that could be put to more productive use.

I assume this would be illegal because I'm sure it would already be a thing if it was legal.

Especially now, since there is so much free coverage of politics in the media overload world we live in today.

one guy did that to get on the debates just recently. well he gave people money they voted for him

 

[MT15]

one guy did that to get on the debates just recently. well he gave people money they voted for him

I think he did it to get the number of individual donors he needed. If you donated $1 to him, he gave you $10 of his own money. I forget who it was, though.

 

[Optimus Prime]

I think he did it to get the number of individual donors he needed. If you donated $1 to him, he gave you $10 of his own money. I forget who it was, though.

it was a couple of them. I know Vivek and one other Doug something maybe, it was another billionaire I think

Think that's a grey area,

they aren't buying your vote, they are buying your dollar just to qualify to get on the debate stage (i think it's 40K or 50K individual donors)

 

[Huntn]

Do any of the legal nerds know if this would be legal?

What if instead of using funds to buy ads the cendidates used the money to give to the community they were hoping to represent. Thinks like buying up property and donating it to a city or a non profit that was goign to turn it into a park or community center, or something like that.

It would be like trickle down economics for politics.

So much money goes into politics that could be put to more productive use.

I assume this would be illegal because I'm sure it would already be a thing if it was legal.

Especially now, since there is so much free coverage of politics in the media overload world we live in today.

Would that be bribing your way into the community?
Elect me, I bought you free hotdogs for the month at the grocery store!
Elect me, because I purchase two city lots I’ll turn into a park!

 

[Bigdaddysaints]

Do any of the legal nerds know if this would be legal?

What if instead of using funds to buy ads the cendidates used the money to give to the community they were hoping to represent. Thinks like buying up property and donating it to a city or a non profit that was goign to turn it into a park or community center, or something like that.

It would be like trickle down economics for politics.

So much money goes into politics that could be put to more productive use.

I assume this would be illegal because I'm sure it would already be a thing if it was legal.

Especially now, since there is so much free coverage of politics in the media overload world we live in today.

you underestimate the love of using the money for mud slinging and laundering it for personal use..

 

[samiam5211]

Would that be bribing your way into the community?
Elect me, I bought you free hotdogs for the month at the grocery store!
Elect me, because I purchase two city lots I’ll turn into a park!

You could make that argument.

It seems pretty stupid that our laws prevent the money being used to benefit the public.

I guess you can buy candidates, but not votes. The poor get screwed again.

 

[Optimus Prime]

political ad spending is out of control. I wouldn't mind a cap being put on it

I remember reading what Clinton and Dole spent combined in 1996 versus 2016 and it was insane how much it had shot up

I'm pretty sure the spending on Warnock vs Walker in Georgia was crazy expensive too. for some reason 100 million sticks out in my mind but was it really that much?

It would be interesting if both candidates had the same hard limit and resources and couldn't try to win just by outspending the other

 

[Bigdaddysaints]

Problem with putting a cap on it is all the PACs. If you try to ca them, they they'll just double the amount of PACs.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Problem with putting a cap on it is all the PACs. If you try to ca them, they they'll just double the amount of PACs.

something would need to be done with them as well

 

[samiam5211]

If I presidential candidate and their supporting pacs could pour that money into communities, it would probably represent more benefit that any of those communities would get from a 4 year administration.

It is a really stupid system we have.

 

[CoolBrees]

Repeal Citizen's United and reinstate the Fairness Doctrine and we are on our way back to sanity.

 

[Huntn]

You could make that argument.

It seems pretty stupid that our laws prevent the money being used to benefit the public.

I guess you can buy candidates, but not votes. The poor get screwed again.

The money is used to help the candidate with their campaign, not buy influence, in particular, not pay The Head Liar’s legal fees for the crimes he orchestrated and participated in. If not used by the candidate for legal campaign expenses, a bi-partisan group could take the money and use it for such a common good purpose, but the candidate should not be able to use it to place bribes, imo.

 

[samiam5211]

The money is used to help the candidate with their campaign, not buy influence, in particular, not pay The Head Liar’s legal fees for the crimes he orchestrated and participated in. If not used by the candidate for legal campaign expenses, a bi-partisan group could take the money and use it for such a common good purpose, but the candidate should not be able to use it to place bribes, imo.

You could call funding a public park a bribe though?

They can use it to bribe the local media into running their ads though.

I get the legal distinction; I just don't agree that it should exist.

I wonder if a PAC could do it even if a candidate can't.

 

[Optimus Prime]

political ad spending is out of control. I wouldn't mind a cap being put on it

I remember reading what Clinton and Dole spent combined in 1996 versus 2016 and it was insane how much it had shot up

I'm pretty sure the spending on Warnock vs Walker in Georgia was crazy expensive too. for some reason 100 million sticks out in my mind but was it really that much?

It would be interesting if both candidates had the same hard limit and resources and couldn't try to win just by outspending the other

EDIT:

There has been a rush of spending on TV ads for the pivotal Georgia U.S. Senate runoff, which is just a shortened four-week campaign.

In that period, some $79 million has been poured in to buy airtime. And spending by groups supporting Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock has more than doubled contributions from groups backing Republican challenger Herschel Walker, according to data from the ad-tracking firm AdImpact and analyzed by NPR..........

https://www.npr.org/2022/12/01/1139995258/georgia-senate-tv-spending-walker-warnock

 

[Huntn]

You could call funding a public park a bribe though?

They can use it to bribe the local media into running their ads though.

I get the legal distinction; I just don't agree that it should exist.

I wonder if a PAC could do it even if a candidate can't.

If you elect me I’ll give you a gift. What is that?