rssCommon Cause Investigates ‘The Man Behind Our Secret Elections’
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 2:45 pm
- 10 Comments
Common Cause, the citizen lobby group that works in part to curb the influence of special interests in elections, has released a lengthy report detailing the life and work of conservative lawyer Jim Bopp. Titled “The Man Behind our Secret Elections: James Bopp Jr.,” the 37-page report is an interesting blend of in-depth research and snarky, sometimes irrelevant asides about Bopp’s conservative beliefs and activism.
Much of the information about Bopp’s conservative agenda is fairly well-trodden ground. Indeed, the report highlights a number of quotes — e.g., “We had a 10-year plan to take all this down. If we do it right, I think we can pretty well dismantle the entire regulatory regime that is called campaign finance law. … We have been awfully successful and we are not done yet.” — that Bopp freely supplied to The New York Times, so it’s not as if the man is hiding anything about his plans.
Bopp’s operations are run out of two organizations sharing the same Terre Haute, Indiana office: his law firm, Bopp, Coleson & Bostrom; and the James Madison Center for Free Speech.
A review of financial records from the James Madison Center shows that the non-profit organization serves solely as a conduit for funneling unregulated money to Bopp’s anti-reform litigation projects. For the past three years, nearly all of the Center’s revenue has gone to make payments to Bopp’s firm.
Here’s a table supplied later in the document:
When the Center opened, news reports named the Christian Coalition and the National Rifle Association as among early donors. Additionally, disclosure forms reveal that the Dick and Betsy DeVos foundation has given the Center at least $95,000 in recent years. Dick DeVos is a former Republican candidate for governor of Michigan, while Betsy DeVos is a major giver to Republican causes. [...]
The James Madison Center has had ties to the Republican establishment since its inception in 1996, when Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), now the Senate GOP leader, helped set it up and served as honorary chairman. Numerous right-wing activists currently serve on its board of directors and executive leadership. In addition to Betsy DeVos, organizational officers include a former general counsel to the Republican National Committee and four directors and officers of the National Right to Life Committee.
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Comment posted October 28, 2010 @ 7:07 pm
Just as Bopp is funneling money from a nonprofit to his private practice in order to avoid disclosing the sources of it, the special interests he wants to protect are funneling money to candidates through 527 organizations. Want to know where the money is coming from? Too bad.
There are more out there like James Bopp, and many of them will remain nameless architects of our falling democracy unless the voters demand fair elections and transparency at the highest level.
DISCLOSE Act is a start, and the Fair Elections Now Act is the necessary next step. Common Cause wants to hold power accountable, but folks in power don't seem to think that's necessary.
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