A Call For Radical Transparency in Politics
One of the ironies of Beltway incumbent preferred campaign finance regulation like the odious McCain-Feingold law is that it manages to combine restrictions of the political activities and free speech rights of American citizens while granting opacity to wealthy foreigners who seek to influence political discourse here through generous donations to foundations, educational organizations, think tanks, universities, presidential libraries and other institutions that shape our intellectual life. It is completely understandable, given the potential impact of American policies on the rest of the world that other states and their sundry notables would seek to make their voice heard here. To a certain extent, when it’s above board public diplomacy and cultural exchanges, it’s even a good thing. What’s unacceptable is that foreign interests can often buy such influence – which is what they are really doing – under the radar or even behind the shield of legal secrecy. If some of our finest universities were people then they would have already had to register as foreign agents a long, long, loooooooong, time ago.
The same might be said of some former presidents. Or of presidential candidates.
The answer here is not to go on a fruitless legal jihad to ban foreign money, which at times does get turned toward humanitarian or genuinely educational purposes but to require radical transparency of our think tanks, universities, charities and other institutions enjoying tax deductible status but are dedicated to indirectly influencing the political process or policy formation. If an American institution or scholar wants to shill for the Wahabbi Lobby by working for a tank on the take from a senior Saudi prince, or accept grants from PLA-affiliated Chinese corporations, Japanese billionaires, mobbed-up Russian “businessmen” or other foreign sources, fine, but a highly visible disclaimer to that fact ought to be mandatory. If Carnegie or AEI or Harvard departments are advising presidential candidates on Mideast policy then contributions emanating from that region are relevant to the discussion.
If accepting the check in public is cause for dismay then there’s a word for what’s really going on:
Graft.
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Chicago Boyz » Blog Archive » A Call For Radical Transparency in Politics:
April 20th, 2008 at 3:17 am
[…] at Zenpunditem> […]
Eddie:
April 20th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
In one of the possible worlds Bobbitt explored in "The Shield Of Achilles", he discussed how widespread revelation of foreign contributions from China and the MENA would help lead to a new isolationism. The more I read about this, the more I have to consider he was onto something. I have no doubt the Saudis and others have poured money into these campaigns.Walid Phares also talked about this in "Future Jihad" with regards to American universities getting their funding for MENA and Islamic departments from the Saudis and others.
zen:
April 20th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Hi Eddie,
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We’ve always had a degree of sub rosa foreign money in our elections – recall "Koreagate" and "Abscam" scandals. Somoza reportedly sent Nixon two suitcases of cash for 1972 ( apocryphal – and if he did, it didn’t help much, Nixon still thought Somoza was an a-hole). The difference is, that back when American citizens could make unlimited donations to candidates, good money swamped out the bad. Today, campaign finance laws tightly restrict good money but not bad – giving the latter undue leverage and influence.
historyguy99:
April 20th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
This post should give all American’s pause to consider who their public servents and higher institutes of learning are really working for….. That is, if the’re willing to open the bun and look for the meat, before wolfing down the their latest instant gratification.
zen:
April 20th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Gracias HG!!
Call for Radical Transparency in Politics-Foreign Investment contributing to federal candidates. « Shariah Finance Watch:
April 20th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
[…] Cross-posted at Zenpundit […]
Eddie:
April 20th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Recalls Fred Thompson admitting in Iowa in December when pressed about this that they "did something" and that "doing something" often is worse than "doing nothing".As it reduces intellectual freedom on campus, especially on hot-button issues like terrorism studies, a long-term project of DHS, concerned members of Congress and outside observers to facilitate a proposal with teeth to publicize such funding to universities should be explored, in a similar vein as the long-term financial system overhaul proposed by Treasury last month that was 5 years or so in the making.
ZenPundit Calls for “Radical Transparency in Politics” « PurpleSlog:
April 20th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
[…] Calls for “Radical Transparency in Politics” Zenpundit writes: The answer here is not to go on a fruitless legal jihad to ban foreign money, which at times does […]
Galrahn:
April 21st, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Good post. The problem is compounded, the donations to PACs are only accountable if the person donating wants it to be for tax purposes. A lot of PACs are funded anonymously, including foreign sources.
There is a lot of evidence that several well funded environmental groups that sue the Navy over sonar usage for example are funded by China, but no one wants to talk about that.
zen:
April 21st, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Hi Galrahn,
.
I hadn’t known either of those. Thank you very much.
.
Things are worse than I realized.