Campaign Spending: Overview (03:04)

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This episode will examine how political campaigns are financed and conducted. Does the cost of campaigning corrupt the system?

Importance of Raising Money (06:08)

Seminar moderator Tyrone Brown describes a senate race in Centralia. Newsman Bill Moyers, Rep. Barney Frank and other panelists identify raising money as the most important consideration of the candidate. They discuss fundraising strategies, the influence of donors, and legal limits to individual campaign contributions.

Are Campaign Contributions Speech? (14:19)

Panelists debate whether campaign contributions are protected speech. They discuss the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 and debate the validity of the United States Supreme Court’s 1976 ruling in Buckley v. Valeo.

Uphill Climb for Challenger (07:55)

Challengers have great difficulty overcoming the name recognition of well-entrenched incumbents. Consultant David Garth recommends early promotion strategies. ABC News Vice President David Burke, Washington Post Correspondent David Broder, and Congressman Frank debate how much control candidates have in getting their message out through television.

Political Action Committees (14:39)

PACs pool money to support campaigns. The amount they can give candidates directly is limited, but the amount they can spend on independent expenditures is not. Some panelists argue that these special interests have a corrupting effect on the political process.

Limits to Spending, Public Financing (08:25)

How can government place effective limits on campaign finance and expenditure? Floyd Abrams decries the hypocrisy of a system in which overt bribery is illegal, but PACs and other donors can ask for favors in return for contributions. Panelists debate the merits of public financing as a remedy and revisit the concept of money as speech.

Credits: Campaign Spending (01:41)

Credits: Campaign Spending