1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:05,559 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday morning or Saturday afternoon, or Saturday evening or 2 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: Saturday night, or any other day of the week that 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:09,920 Speaker 1: you happen to be listening to this. This is Chuck here. 4 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: It is March in my mind in my memory palace, 5 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,479 Speaker 1: because I'm opening the window to the upstairs floor to 6 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: talk about dark money, how dark money works. Released in 7 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: great episode. Check it out right now. Welcome to Stuff 8 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 1: you Should Know, a production of I Heart Radio. Bush 9 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: and dukakas on Crime. Bush supports the death penalty for 10 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 1: first degree murderers. Dukaka is not only opposes of the 11 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,839 Speaker 1: death penalty, he allowed first degree murderers to have weekend 12 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: passes from prison. One was Willie Horton, who murdered a 13 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: boy in a robbery, stabbing him nineteen times. Despite a 14 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: life sentence, Horton received ten weekend passes from prison. Orton fled, 15 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: kidnapped a young couple, stabbing the man and repeatedly raping 16 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 1: his girlfriend. Weekend prison passes du caucasun Crime. Hey and 17 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, there's Charles to be, 18 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: Chuck Bryant, there's Jerry over there. And what you've just 19 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:20,680 Speaker 1: heard was something we brought back with us from via 20 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: the way back machine an attack ad, the attack AD 21 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: from the election between George Herbert Walker Bush and one 22 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: Michael du Caucus. That's right, and uh, that ad is 23 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: widely credited as turning the tide against du Caucus's campaign, 24 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:41,559 Speaker 1: which was doing pretty good at the time. Yeah. Well, 25 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 1: some people say so, other people say true. Depends on 26 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 1: who you ask dissent. That's politics, as it turns out, 27 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: there's always more than one opinion. But the reason we 28 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: bring up this ad, which UM first aired on September 29 00:01:54,720 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: twenty one, nineteen, Yes, UM as called weekend passes for 30 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: obvious reasons, and it was UM funded by something called 31 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: the National Security Political Action Committee And n s PACK 32 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:17,960 Speaker 1: was a non affiliated pro Bush political action committee that 33 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 1: was aimed at sinking du Caucus and getting Bush elected. Yeah. 34 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 1: I think, uh, one of Bush's uh maybe it was 35 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: his chief campaign guy said by the time we're done, 36 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: people are gonna think Willie Horton is du caucus is 37 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:37,239 Speaker 1: running mate. And it worked too. I mean, like still, 38 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: if if you say the name Willie Horton, people of 39 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:43,639 Speaker 1: a certain age e g r age can still say, oh, 40 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: I know who that is? Yeah, Well, quickly, the story 41 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: of Willie Horton is he was he was in prison 42 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: for murder, was furloughed as part of the UH for 43 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: a weekend as part of the Massachusetts furlough program that 44 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: was UM in effect at the time, and he raped 45 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 1: and killed somebody on this weekend pass on the weekend pass, 46 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: which was a big sign that it may not be 47 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: a good idea to furlough murders. I guess they needed 48 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: to test it out to find out one way or another. 49 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: But yeah, that pretty much closed the book on it. 50 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: And the thing was the Bush campaign linked d Caucus 51 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: is well, Duke Caucus himself with the weekend passes and 52 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: insinuated that he had come up with this and that 53 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: he was in support of it. Well, he was in 54 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: support of it. He didn't come up with it though, Yeah, 55 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: he inherited it from his Republican predecessor, I believe. Yeah, 56 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: it actually started U with a Republican governor governor of Massachusetts, 57 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: which apparently things have been going fine up until then 58 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: until Willie Horn came along. Yeah, it kind of had 59 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: a weird UH, A long and winding road. Um. The 60 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: initial program excluded first degree murderers, and then the Supreme 61 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:00,080 Speaker 1: Court said, no, the law doesn't specifically say that, so 62 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: you can't exclude first degree murderers. So the legislature said, well, 63 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: we gotta put a stop to this, and we can't 64 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: let first agree murderers out on leave. And Ducaca's vetoed that. 65 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: So he did support it until he decided to run 66 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,119 Speaker 1: for president, and that's when he said, let's get this off. 67 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: So the N. S Pack ad was very um widely criticized. 68 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: It was criticized as being misleading, It was criticized as 69 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:31,560 Speaker 1: fostering racist attitudes. Um and but it still worked. A 70 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,360 Speaker 1: lot of people say, and I understand. Some people say no, 71 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:37,280 Speaker 1: A lot of people say this did work. Some people 72 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: say it was the tank Gride remember that, Oh I 73 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: forgot abouts rode around that tank. Yeah, I totally forgot 74 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:45,599 Speaker 1: about that. He was off the rails there for a 75 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: little bit. Um. But the the thing is is George 76 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 1: Bush's campaign I was able to say, hey, this had 77 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: nothing to do with us, blame N. S. Pack. So 78 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: it still worked in George Bush's favor. But George Bush 79 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 1: got got to say this had nothing to do with me. 80 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: Remodle up. That was Clinton. I just did. Um. It 81 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,039 Speaker 1: was it was pretty dead on Clinton. Really, it's called 82 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: a political matchup. Um. And the whole way that this 83 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:19,320 Speaker 1: pack was was funded was with what's called dark money. Yeah. 84 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: We should uh, we should just title this one how 85 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:27,839 Speaker 1: to exploit a loophole in America. Yeah, and how the 86 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: Supreme Court really screwed things up. Yeah. Or if you 87 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,599 Speaker 1: don't like Josh and Chuck talking politics, turn it off now. 88 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: But we're taking down the system. Yeah. Yeah. Here's the thing, man, 89 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 1: Billionaires controlling who gets elected in the United States is 90 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 1: not a conservative or liberal issue. We're all being screwed 91 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: over equally. Here everyone, I got a stat for you, 92 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:55,719 Speaker 1: and then we'll get right into it. This will shake 93 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: you to the core. Uh. Since two thousand ten of 94 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 1: the one bill in dollars spent in federal elections by superpacks, 95 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:07,839 Speaker 1: almost sixty percent of that money came from one hundred 96 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: and ninety five people and their spouses one hundred and 97 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: nine people of campaign of superpack spending. And as most 98 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 1: as it is crazy, but it's not that surprising if 99 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 1: you really step back and look at what's been going 100 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:25,159 Speaker 1: on the last decade or so, and that's what people 101 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,479 Speaker 1: I mean, some people say, like spending tons of money 102 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: on elections isn't bad. It's the fact that a hundred 103 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: people are the ones doing the majority of the spending, right, 104 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: That's that it's not right. And the the that's a 105 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: billion dollars spent by super packs or political action committees, 106 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:47,080 Speaker 1: and super packs up until recently had to disclose, um, 107 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:50,279 Speaker 1: who donated money to them. So this is just the 108 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: money that's traceable. And what we're talking about is the 109 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,800 Speaker 1: money that's not traceable here. So we're gonna go back 110 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 1: a little bit um in the way back machine, back 111 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,920 Speaker 1: to the early twentieth century once again. Yeah, and um, 112 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about money in politics. There's this 113 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: really good Mother Jones article called Follow the Dark Money, 114 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: and it gives a bit of a history of politics 115 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 1: and money. Uh and says Congress is always reacting to 116 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 1: some sort of money scandal, but there's this long history 117 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 1: and tradition of knowing who is funding campaigns. Transparency in America. Yeah, 118 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 1: and it started with Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy Roosevelt ran as 119 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 1: a trust buster. He was against the big corporations that 120 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: controlled so much in the robber barons, but he was 121 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:47,120 Speaker 1: also simultaneously secretly going to these same corporations of robber 122 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: barons and getting secret funding for his campaigns. Yes, one 123 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 1: tycoon said, Teddy Roosevelt got down on his knees for us. 124 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 1: That's not the normal description of Teddy Roosevelt. And as 125 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: far corporations are concerned, not the public image of him. 126 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:05,640 Speaker 1: Teddy Roosevelt, you wouldn't think got on his needs for anybody. 127 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: So as a result, after Roosevelt was elected, he actually 128 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:11,200 Speaker 1: did something about it. He signed into law of the 129 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:16,560 Speaker 1: Tilman Act that prevented it, outlawed corporations from directly contributing 130 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 1: to candidates. That's illegal, still is today. It is. That's 131 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: why we need loopholes. Watergate came along in uh, the 132 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:29,600 Speaker 1: I think the nineteen seventy four, nineteen yeah, nineteen seventy 133 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: two election when Nixon was running for UM office. He um, Okay, 134 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 1: he accepted twenty million dollars in nineteen seventy two money 135 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:48,200 Speaker 1: UM in secret political contributions. And we're talking like delivered 136 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,880 Speaker 1: in cash and checks in briefcases by couriers who were 137 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:55,440 Speaker 1: flying private jets from Texas to d C. For Pete's sake. Yeah, 138 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 1: and his personal attorney when Herbert kombach Uh, he was 139 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: z deputy finance chair for the Committee for re Election 140 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: for President, he destroyed this evidence and went to prison 141 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:08,200 Speaker 1: for it. So it was a real thing that happened. 142 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:11,640 Speaker 1: What's crazy is their their political action committee was the 143 00:09:11,679 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 1: Committee to re Elect the President and the acronym was Creep. 144 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 1: They called themselves creep and they were trying to reelect 145 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 1: Nixon's pretty funny. I mean, come on, it's a little 146 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 1: on the nose. Don't you think maybe it was lost 147 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 1: on them? So um, you fast forward and you just say, okay, guys, 148 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 1: let's stop bashing Teddy Roosevelt and Richard Nixon. How about 149 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:35,880 Speaker 1: some some Democrats in there. And uh, Bill Clinton was 150 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 1: a really good example of that as well. Yeah, you 151 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 1: want to go jogging with Bill? I want to play 152 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 1: a little golf six figure check. Please. Access to the 153 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:47,600 Speaker 1: president or even somebody who's running for the presidency is 154 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 1: not supposed to be purchasable. Bedroom you were you or I, 155 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: we can't do that. We don't have access to the 156 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: president because we don't have that much money. So it's 157 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:59,280 Speaker 1: just simply not fair for somebody who does have that 158 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:02,080 Speaker 1: much money to have that much more access to the 159 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 1: president or somebody running for the president. So over the 160 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 1: years have been scandal and then uh some sort of 161 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:13,679 Speaker 1: change to campaign finance laws. But there's been this through 162 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:17,920 Speaker 1: thread over the twentieth century that America has said, we 163 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:23,200 Speaker 1: want to know who is giving money to uh two candidates, 164 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: we want to know who they're indebted to when they win. Yeah, 165 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,320 Speaker 1: but there's also been a thread of every time law 166 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 1: comes into action, there is a loophole that is invariably 167 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: found that can get around that created by the same 168 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 1: politicians who pass the Act to begin with, because it's 169 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:43,839 Speaker 1: a game. They really upsetting if you think about it. Oh, 170 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 1: it's very upsetting. I'm I'm really doing a good job 171 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: here staying calm. Well, you have a vein in your 172 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,160 Speaker 1: forehead that's pulsing. I can see it is. There's this 173 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:57,079 Speaker 1: blood spurting out of it. Yea, So um chuck. There's 174 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 1: a there's another thread to um to all of this 175 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:03,439 Speaker 1: is semi political, and that is the tax code. Right, 176 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:06,560 Speaker 1: So if you go look at the tax code after 177 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,440 Speaker 1: you're going to see something called the five oh one 178 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:17,320 Speaker 1: C four organization called the social welfare organization, or you 179 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: can also be a local association of employees and be 180 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 1: a five O one four. Those are also known as unions. Right, 181 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: and as of nineteen thirteen the Underwood Terriff Act, which 182 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:31,319 Speaker 1: brought back income taxes, five oh one C four organizations 183 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:37,959 Speaker 1: are nonprofits that are tax exempt. Right, Yeah, and they 184 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 1: can accept donations. But because of this uh there five 185 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:44,160 Speaker 1: oh one C four status, they don't have to reveal 186 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:46,559 Speaker 1: who their donors are, right, which wouldn't seem like a 187 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:50,480 Speaker 1: big problem because all nonprofits are are people trying to 188 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: save animals and save the rainforest. Right. Social welfare one. Sure, 189 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: So you want to just donate your money and I 190 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: want it to be anonymous and it's no big deal. 191 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 1: But that is an always the case. Um. By the 192 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:07,600 Speaker 1: well late nineteen fifty nine, early nineteen sixties, the government 193 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:12,640 Speaker 1: realized that politics and uh five oh one seat where 194 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 1: they five one fours at that time? Yeah, okay, um, 195 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:18,440 Speaker 1: they were intertwined. Uh. There was nothing they could do 196 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:21,280 Speaker 1: about it, and so they started loosening rules in a 197 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: night one they said, you know what, you can be 198 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:28,560 Speaker 1: politically engaged as long as it's under the banner of 199 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:32,920 Speaker 1: the promotion of quote social welfare or quote or that 200 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 1: the work you're doing is primarily social welfare. And the 201 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:38,959 Speaker 1: way that that translated as far as the I R S, 202 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: who you know, um enforces the tax code. As far 203 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: as the I R S was concerned, it was if 204 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:49,439 Speaker 1: fifty one of your funds are spent on social welfare, 205 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,960 Speaker 1: you can spend up to forty nine on political stuff. Yeah. 206 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:55,080 Speaker 1: And the I R S had to fight for that 207 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: designation because previously it just said primarily, which is such 208 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:02,280 Speaker 1: a loose h word. You know, they said, you know, 209 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:04,800 Speaker 1: we what does this really mean? Right? And so that 210 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:08,520 Speaker 1: they just through I think they released an interpretation a rule. 211 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 1: It said this is what primarily means nine. And that 212 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: was the rule from one on basically. Um, And so, okay, 213 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:18,520 Speaker 1: you've got five oh wind C four is they're hanging 214 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:20,640 Speaker 1: out there over there, they're doing their own thing. Nobody's 215 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:23,800 Speaker 1: paying too much attention to them. Uh. And then two 216 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:26,760 Speaker 1: thousand ten rolls along, and there was a lawsuit that 217 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:28,880 Speaker 1: had made its way through the lower courts up to 218 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court, and it was called Citizens United versus 219 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:36,319 Speaker 1: the Federal Election Committee. And it sounds so boring that 220 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 1: I hazard to say that Americans have never even heard 221 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:43,120 Speaker 1: of it. And it's and it may be one of 222 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:45,360 Speaker 1: the most influential Supreme Court rulings in the history of 223 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:49,280 Speaker 1: this country. But it just listened to it. Citizens United 224 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:54,439 Speaker 1: versus the FEC snooze. So Citizens United was a m 225 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 1: a political action committee and uh well, I think it 226 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:01,440 Speaker 1: still is as a matter of fact. And Citizens United 227 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 1: was spending money on advertisements for a video on demand 228 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:14,720 Speaker 1: movie that was basically, um, a attack ad, one giant 229 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:17,679 Speaker 1: attack ad on Hillary Clinton. I thought you're gonna say 230 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:19,600 Speaker 1: it was one of those Kirk Camera in movies. I 231 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:22,960 Speaker 1: think it was similar. He had a cameo I think, right. 232 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:27,880 Speaker 1: And so in this movie, Um, like the Citizens United didn't. 233 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:30,400 Speaker 1: I don't believe they funded the movie or finance, but 234 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: they were. They were running ads about it, and they 235 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 1: were running ads within I think thirty days of the 236 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:40,400 Speaker 1: the election, no, sixty days of the prime no, sorry, 237 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:43,240 Speaker 1: thirty days of a primary election, which under the McCain 238 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 1: Fine Goal of Act, which is a campaign finance reform 239 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:50,080 Speaker 1: Act that came along in two thou two. Um, you're 240 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:52,880 Speaker 1: not allowed to do And Citizens United said, you know what, 241 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: why wouldn't we be allowed to do this? This is 242 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,600 Speaker 1: political speech. Um, we're going to sue the Federal Elections Commission, 243 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 1: and they did in free speech. The Supreme Court ruled 244 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:04,840 Speaker 1: on it, and the Supreme Court in Citizens United ruled 245 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 1: in favor of Citizens United. But then they released one 246 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 1: of the most sweeping explanations of what they'd ruled that 247 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: just completely changed the face of American politics from that 248 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:21,960 Speaker 1: point on. It said, it's open season. Bring in as 249 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: much money as you want uh into the American political system, 250 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 1: because we are opening the floodgates as wide as they 251 00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 1: can go. Yeah, what they basically did was they equated 252 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:39,280 Speaker 1: speech with money, and they said, basically they took the 253 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 1: term money talks to the reaches that we can't even 254 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:46,120 Speaker 1: comprehend that you can make huge donations and that is 255 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:49,360 Speaker 1: a political statement. That is your speech as a corporation, 256 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:53,400 Speaker 1: and you are protected because corporations are individuals, right, So 257 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:57,200 Speaker 1: so that's exactly what they did. They said, spending money 258 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:00,360 Speaker 1: on political campaigns, any political contribution, is a form of 259 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:03,640 Speaker 1: political speech. Speech is protected under the First Amendment, but 260 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:08,280 Speaker 1: the speech of individuals is protected. Well. Corporations are considered 261 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 1: artificial people, so therefore they should have that same thing 262 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 1: extended to them, right, And so that that the ruling 263 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:20,120 Speaker 1: was that you can spend as much as you want 264 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 1: as long as it doesn't go directly to a candidate. 265 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: And um, you can also now that since there's five 266 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 1: O four, you can funnel as much money as you 267 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:34,440 Speaker 1: want too or five O four and remain an anonymous donor. Yeah. 268 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:36,800 Speaker 1: And the problem, well, there are a lot of problems. 269 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 1: One of the biggest problems is is these corporations are 270 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:44,360 Speaker 1: spending tons and tons, millions and millions of dollars. The 271 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:48,600 Speaker 1: court essentially said, uh, Joe Schmo on the street donating 272 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:50,920 Speaker 1: ten dollars to a campaign is the same thing as 273 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:55,040 Speaker 1: a corporation donating thousand dollars to a campaign, because they're 274 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:58,080 Speaker 1: both individuals, right. So it created this huge loophole. And 275 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 1: I think the Supreme Court with they were relying on was, uh, 276 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,159 Speaker 1: that these groups would be independent of the candidates. And 277 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:08,399 Speaker 1: that's not only not how it worked out, that was 278 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:11,919 Speaker 1: the plan all along. It was extremely naive the ruling was. 279 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:14,439 Speaker 1: And if you look at naive or was it, I 280 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:16,960 Speaker 1: don't know, but if you look at the I have 281 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:19,080 Speaker 1: the same questions. You know a lot of people do 282 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:21,720 Speaker 1: the the If you look at the ruling, though, there's 283 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 1: a section on transparency, where they say, with the Supreme 284 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:31,320 Speaker 1: Court uphold the constitutionality of requiring transparency in campaign finance 285 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:33,120 Speaker 1: at that past eight to one, right, eight to one, 286 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,680 Speaker 1: which is like they're the only person descending was Clarence Thomas, 287 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:39,879 Speaker 1: and it was like, yes, we're saying you need to 288 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:43,280 Speaker 1: be transparent. And they said, okay, well, then transparency is 289 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 1: going to come through people demanding the corporations that they 290 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:51,120 Speaker 1: own stock in to release what what political donations they've done. 291 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:53,880 Speaker 1: That makes total sense. If you have stock in a company, 292 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: if your life's fortune is invested in a corporation, you 293 00:17:58,119 --> 00:18:00,960 Speaker 1: should know who are they're who they're giving their money too. Okay, 294 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,240 Speaker 1: So that's one way. And they also said, well, the 295 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 1: Federal Elections Commission, they've got their job to do, the 296 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:10,040 Speaker 1: I R S, the SEC. There's all these regulatory agencies 297 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:14,879 Speaker 1: that are tasked with keeping transparency in the political process, 298 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:18,160 Speaker 1: and um, we're we're just going to rely on them. 299 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 1: And as we're about to see after this break, relying 300 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:43,959 Speaker 1: on that was an enormous mistake. Foolhardy. So all right 301 00:18:44,119 --> 00:18:47,520 Speaker 1: we're back, boy, we're getting riled up today. I'm remaining 302 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:51,080 Speaker 1: calm still, I'm riled up um election season. So the 303 00:18:51,119 --> 00:18:54,280 Speaker 1: Supreme Court said, guys, spend as much money as you want, 304 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:57,680 Speaker 1: spend it anonymously if you want. UM. The only thing 305 00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:05,880 Speaker 1: that remains illegal is corporations contributing directly to candidates, right, which, 306 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:08,320 Speaker 1: once you have these loopholes, who cares, you don't need 307 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 1: to anymore. Right. Plus, also, don't even worry about the 308 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:16,680 Speaker 1: mega donors donating directly to candidates because you, um, there's 309 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: there's requirements for reporting. There's transparency requirements. If you under McCain, 310 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:25,720 Speaker 1: fine gold if you contribute a thousand dollars or more 311 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:30,640 Speaker 1: to a candidate or a pack that has to report donors, Um, 312 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:33,120 Speaker 1: you have to report it. Somebody's got to report it. Sure, 313 00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:37,359 Speaker 1: there's transparency, right, the Federal Elections Commission, the i R S, 314 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:39,920 Speaker 1: all these guys are tasked with making sure that happened. 315 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:43,679 Speaker 1: So we're fine. Supreme Court went home and took a 316 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:49,120 Speaker 1: giant nap together on their enormous nine person bed. UH. 317 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:50,879 Speaker 1: And here's one of the other big problems is a 318 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:55,280 Speaker 1: lot of this money goes toward UH campaign ads, television ads, 319 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:58,920 Speaker 1: which have a lot of sway UM nine out of 320 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,359 Speaker 1: chen and people have studied this. The uh Annenberg Public 321 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:05,879 Speaker 1: Policy Center UH determined that in the two thousand twelve 322 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:10,159 Speaker 1: campaign cycle, nine out of ten ads UH funded by 323 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:12,680 Speaker 1: dark money were negative. So that's why you see those 324 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,000 Speaker 1: negative ads. And not only that, but those were misleading 325 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:21,119 Speaker 1: and there's no accountability. So they're being funded anonymously and 326 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,439 Speaker 1: there's no fact checker. They don't have to run it 327 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:26,399 Speaker 1: by anybody to get approval and say, well, this is 328 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:29,119 Speaker 1: all true, it's not misleading at all, So you can 329 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 1: basically say whatever you want. The ad runs, it's anonymously funded, 330 00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:35,520 Speaker 1: and someone's campaign is destroyed in the process. So the 331 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:39,680 Speaker 1: point is, as long as the candidate is not coordinating 332 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:42,800 Speaker 1: with the Political Action Committee, the superpacker, the five of 333 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:46,480 Speaker 1: one CE four, then it's all kosher. It's all illegal 334 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 1: and coordinating, meaning like so blatantly like come on, it's 335 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:54,040 Speaker 1: still going on. So every every election season as it 336 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 1: starts to kick off, you'll you'll see on the news 337 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:00,680 Speaker 1: like Ted Cruz or Bernie Sanders or whoever, just released 338 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: an eerie twelve hour tape of them doing different things 339 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:10,359 Speaker 1: with no soundtrack whatsoever. And and the whole thing is 340 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: they they'll release a real and it's them hanging out 341 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,720 Speaker 1: with their mom, them writing a tractor, them like standing 342 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:20,280 Speaker 1: on like a mountain looking as the sun comes up 343 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 1: with their foot on the head of a small child. Sure, 344 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:25,000 Speaker 1: they're like there, and it's just that there's no sound 345 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:27,120 Speaker 1: to it whatsoever. And they just put it out there. 346 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 1: I'm just putting it out there, and then anybody wants 347 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:31,199 Speaker 1: to use it can do whatever they want with it. 348 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:36,360 Speaker 1: And then the political action committees, the super along use 349 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:39,800 Speaker 1: that footage to make their ads in supported the candidate. 350 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:41,080 Speaker 1: I kind of wondered, I was like, how are they 351 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:43,920 Speaker 1: getting this footage anyway? If they can't be directed putting 352 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:46,639 Speaker 1: it out there? I had no idea. Yeah, it's pretty 353 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:48,720 Speaker 1: cynical really if you think about it, the idea that 354 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:51,560 Speaker 1: they're not coordinating in any way, shape or form. They're 355 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:55,080 Speaker 1: just putting all this raw footage out there. And and again, 356 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 1: guys like if you're getting riled up if you're a 357 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,560 Speaker 1: Republican when we say they like the Democrats do this too. 358 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:05,000 Speaker 1: But it's really disingenuous to say that all parties are 359 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:10,600 Speaker 1: equally equally at fault here for using dark money, because again, 360 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:14,119 Speaker 1: studies show that if you quantify the amount of money 361 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,960 Speaker 1: spent by the GOP and by the Democrats. The GOP 362 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:25,480 Speaker 1: has outspent the Democrats mind boggling to seventeen percent. Yes. 363 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:29,000 Speaker 1: As far as using dark money goes, it's it's definitely 364 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:32,640 Speaker 1: not a like. Democrats do it, for sure, and they 365 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:36,119 Speaker 1: sometimes do it cynically. I read about a a dark 366 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:41,399 Speaker 1: money committee that released an ad in favor of Harry 367 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:46,160 Speaker 1: Reid lambasting dark money. That's pretty cynical as well. Yeah, 368 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:48,879 Speaker 1: so both sides do it. The Republicans just do it 369 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:51,719 Speaker 1: way way more. Yeah, And I think Hillary Clinton has 370 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:55,680 Speaker 1: come under fire for her reliance on super PACs, being 371 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:58,359 Speaker 1: attacked by Bernie of course, who's like, I don't want 372 00:22:58,359 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 1: any part of that stuff. Um, Although there are some 373 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:05,760 Speaker 1: super pecks for Bernie, but I think he's disavowed them. Maybe. Yeah, 374 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:08,400 Speaker 1: you have to look at George Bush disavowed the Weekend 375 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,359 Speaker 1: Passes ad too. You still benefit from it. It's not 376 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:14,919 Speaker 1: like he's like, guys, you have to stop, well, that 377 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:19,000 Speaker 1: was my Bernie standards. No, that was your Larry David right. 378 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:24,159 Speaker 1: Oh wait, same guy. Uh. Leading up to the primaries 379 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,359 Speaker 1: here in New Hampshire and Iowa not too long ago, 380 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: Bernie came under fire from Hillary because there's a group 381 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:34,280 Speaker 1: called Friends of the Earth Action. Uh there are five 382 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,880 Speaker 1: oh one c four and um they are in strong 383 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:41,000 Speaker 1: support of Bernie. And she's like, hey, dude, you're getting 384 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:44,400 Speaker 1: dark money too from this outfit. Uh. Friends of Earth 385 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:48,240 Speaker 1: UM Action said, Hey, first of all, we've been around 386 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:51,200 Speaker 1: since early seventies. We've been around long before dark money 387 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: has been around. Uh, that's not what we are. We 388 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:58,479 Speaker 1: are mainly small donor based. UM, do not compare us 389 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 1: to these corporations. Uh. And you know they have a 390 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,480 Speaker 1: point in a lot of ways. You can't compare Friends 391 00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:08,439 Speaker 1: of Earth Action to the Koke Brothers. UM. But I 392 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:10,600 Speaker 1: think Hillary was just trying to get in some like, hey, 393 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:14,760 Speaker 1: you're not completely clean either. Right, it's true. And the 394 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 1: Koke Brothers is good that you mentioned them because they 395 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:20,960 Speaker 1: are basically the poster boys for dark money contributions. Right. 396 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:25,160 Speaker 1: Americans for Prosperity spent thirty six million dollars and that's 397 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:28,920 Speaker 1: their group right in two yeah, in two twelve, UM, 398 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,399 Speaker 1: and they actually got outspent by other groups like Karl 399 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:36,120 Speaker 1: Rove created UM Crossroads GPS and that all these names 400 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:38,800 Speaker 1: are so dumb. They spent seventy one million in two 401 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:42,520 Speaker 1: thousand twelve. But the Koch brothers in particular have pledged 402 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 1: nine hundred million dollars for the two thousand and sixteen cycle. 403 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:49,040 Speaker 1: That's how much they're going to spend on the two 404 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:51,919 Speaker 1: thousand and sixteen cycle. And um, if you read up 405 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 1: on those guys and their dark money contributions, UM or 406 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:59,680 Speaker 1: just their general political contributions, they've definitely amassed a lot 407 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:03,879 Speaker 1: of ends in state legislatures, in the Senate, in the 408 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:08,320 Speaker 1: in the the the House, and the one that's left 409 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:11,040 Speaker 1: is the presidency, and they're spending a tremendous amount of 410 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:14,640 Speaker 1: money making friends with whoever is going to become president. 411 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:17,360 Speaker 1: All right, so let's talk for a second about does 412 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:19,920 Speaker 1: money when you an election? Because that's really what's it 413 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,560 Speaker 1: the route here? If money doesn't win you elections? And 414 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:25,080 Speaker 1: who cares? I take issue with that, but go ahead. 415 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 1: What what was the issue? Well, the issue is like 416 00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:32,000 Speaker 1: in this article, the author says, you know a lot 417 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,200 Speaker 1: of people raise a lot of money and flame out, 418 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:36,800 Speaker 1: they don't make it even to the primary. Look at 419 00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:39,480 Speaker 1: Jeb Bush. Yeah, he I think he raised a hundred 420 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:42,280 Speaker 1: and three million through super PACs alone. Yeah, and and 421 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:45,159 Speaker 1: just burned right through. It didn't get anywhere with it. 422 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:49,360 Speaker 1: But that's a disingenuous that's a straw argument because it's 423 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:51,640 Speaker 1: it's saying like, yeah, you can raise all the money 424 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:53,400 Speaker 1: you want and you're still not gonna win. The thing 425 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:56,680 Speaker 1: is somebody's gonna win, and the people that help them 426 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,760 Speaker 1: win through these huge donations, they're gonna be indebted to 427 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:03,359 Speaker 1: those people. Well, I'll help you out even further, my friend. Uh. 428 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 1: People that say you can spend a ton of money 429 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:08,720 Speaker 1: and still not win. Who he or she who spends 430 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 1: the most money almost always wins. Yeah, yeah, not sort of. Yeah. 431 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:17,520 Speaker 1: Nine out of ten uh in the House and eight 432 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:20,200 Speaker 1: out of ten in the Senate. Uh, winners are the 433 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:25,720 Speaker 1: people who spent the most money. Yeah, So you can't 434 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:28,199 Speaker 1: ignore that if you raise the most money, you have 435 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:30,040 Speaker 1: an eight or nine out of ten chance of winning. 436 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:35,200 Speaker 1: So money is buying elections, it is. And then people say, well, 437 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 1: if these are as long as the packs and the 438 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:40,840 Speaker 1: super packs and the five of one c four is 439 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:44,639 Speaker 1: all stay separate from the candidate, then and there's no 440 00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:48,439 Speaker 1: coordination and there's no crossover whatever, then the candidates not 441 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:51,600 Speaker 1: indebted to these people who gave nine million dollars to 442 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:56,720 Speaker 1: their campaign, um, which is just the most ridiculous assertion 443 00:26:57,240 --> 00:27:00,480 Speaker 1: you can possibly think of. And I really read this 444 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 1: this UM. I think it was a Bloomberg article or 445 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: u S News, I can't remember, and it basically explained 446 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:11,200 Speaker 1: it how you're indebted to these people you're it's not 447 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:14,560 Speaker 1: necessarily nefarious, although I'm quite sure there is a tremendous 448 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:18,159 Speaker 1: amount of nefariousness out there. But even if you remove 449 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:23,120 Speaker 1: the nefarious angle, right, if you are a presidential candidate 450 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:26,080 Speaker 1: and you're moving and shaken, yeah you're going to like 451 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:29,000 Speaker 1: the local diner and somewhere in like Rhode Island or whatever, 452 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:32,040 Speaker 1: and shaking hands or whatever. But the people you're really 453 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:35,560 Speaker 1: interacting with that you see over and over again at 454 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:39,120 Speaker 1: the same fundraisers. Those are the mega donors. You don't 455 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:41,840 Speaker 1: see the dude who's sitting at the diner asking you 456 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:44,040 Speaker 1: a question more than that one time at that one 457 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:48,320 Speaker 1: dime you see him in the photoph You do see 458 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:51,640 Speaker 1: the same mega donors time after time after time after time. 459 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:54,360 Speaker 1: So the very at least they have your ear, and 460 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:57,800 Speaker 1: even if they don't have your ear, they become who 461 00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:00,400 Speaker 1: you think of when you think of your electorate. These 462 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:02,800 Speaker 1: people who you saw time and time and time again, 463 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:05,959 Speaker 1: who contributed money after money after money. So even if 464 00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:08,760 Speaker 1: you're not saying, yeah, give me some money and I'll 465 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:11,480 Speaker 1: make your your legal troubles go away with the I 466 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:14,680 Speaker 1: R S. Even if it's not quid pro quo like that, 467 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:18,760 Speaker 1: there's still a mentality that crops up where if you're 468 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:21,080 Speaker 1: exposed to these people who are giving you tons of 469 00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:24,840 Speaker 1: cash to get you elected, you're going to equate their 470 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:29,320 Speaker 1: help with your success at being elected. That's at the 471 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:33,439 Speaker 1: very least how it influences politics. All Right, we definitely 472 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:35,400 Speaker 1: need to take a break now because I can't even 473 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:57,680 Speaker 1: coming out of your I ducks. Alright, we're back. You good, 474 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:03,160 Speaker 1: you got the tissue. Yeah, I'm good. You're crying bloody tears. Uh, 475 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:05,600 Speaker 1: I get riled up to man. It's just it's when 476 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:08,720 Speaker 1: you look at the state of American politics these days, 477 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:12,200 Speaker 1: it's very hard to not want to go live on 478 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 1: a deserted island somewhere in Canada start your own oligarchy. Yeah, 479 00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:20,400 Speaker 1: rule myself, monkeys. I wonder what it's. I don't know 480 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:23,120 Speaker 1: much about politics around the world. I know other like 481 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:28,560 Speaker 1: you know, wealthy countries are corrupt as well. Um, I 482 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:32,640 Speaker 1: feel like we're leading the race, though maybe maybe not 483 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:36,320 Speaker 1: the the race downward. Yeah, I'd like to hear from 484 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:40,760 Speaker 1: other countries out there, other like big wealthy countries, UM 485 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:44,320 Speaker 1: about your systems. Yeah, I'm sure they're largely broken. Right, 486 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:46,760 Speaker 1: Are we the only ones? No, we're definitely not the 487 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 1: only ones doing it right the Finns. I mean, you 488 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:54,800 Speaker 1: look at Scandinavia and you're like, yeah, they're like a 489 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:58,280 Speaker 1: model of of you know, using taxes for good and 490 00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:00,360 Speaker 1: all that. But how much of it do you know here? 491 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,280 Speaker 1: About like how much like like waste is there, how 492 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:05,560 Speaker 1: much graft is there? How much you know? I'm like, well, 493 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:07,880 Speaker 1: they pay so much much in taxes over there. But 494 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:10,320 Speaker 1: everything we hear though from people in that part of 495 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 1: the world say, we're happy to because everything's great. It's 496 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: like we have no crime, we have no gun violence, 497 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:22,600 Speaker 1: everyone's healthy, we all get healthcare, schools are awesome. We're 498 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 1: all happy. I don't know, maybe I'll move to Finland. 499 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 1: So we we've talked about, um, like why how money 500 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:39,320 Speaker 1: influences politics, But the underlying key is this is if you, um, 501 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:44,720 Speaker 1: if you can purchase campaigns, you can purchase everything else 502 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:47,840 Speaker 1: because you get people who owe you, or who you 503 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:52,280 Speaker 1: have influenced, or who you just share a tremendous amount 504 00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:56,960 Speaker 1: of common viewpoints with into office. You backed the right horse, 505 00:30:57,240 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 1: your guy got in there. Right. You can put it 506 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:02,560 Speaker 1: as crassly or as nicely as you want, but you 507 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,400 Speaker 1: helped get somebody into office, and now they kind of 508 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:09,000 Speaker 1: owe you, and now the policies are probably going to 509 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:13,440 Speaker 1: fall into your favor. And just the ability to do 510 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:17,000 Speaker 1: this is such a symptom of the inequality in the 511 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:19,800 Speaker 1: United States that we're dealing with right now that I 512 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:22,920 Speaker 1: think that's what disheartens me the most. It's it's like 513 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:26,640 Speaker 1: when the Supreme Court ruled in two thousand ten, we're 514 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:30,320 Speaker 1: opening the floodgates, basically said you have no voice individual. Yeah, 515 00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:33,920 Speaker 1: but yeah it did, But did we ever? Was the 516 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,680 Speaker 1: Supreme Court really just saying like, hey, we're going to 517 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 1: take the scales off your eyes. We're not We're going 518 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:42,440 Speaker 1: to take away any pretense. Here's how it is, Here's 519 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:45,960 Speaker 1: probably how it's always been. But now it's legal. Man, 520 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:47,800 Speaker 1: Just get used to it. Yeah, but no one was 521 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:51,440 Speaker 1: paying attention because people But I mean, like back in 522 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 1: the seventies when Watergate happened. People paid attention to that, 523 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:57,719 Speaker 1: you know, because the idea that if you were wealthy 524 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 1: you could become an ambassador for two K, or that 525 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:05,240 Speaker 1: you add access to the president. It's always ticked Americans off. Uh. 526 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:08,720 Speaker 1: So remember when we talked a little bit ago about um, 527 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:14,280 Speaker 1: the five oh one s fours have to of their 528 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:22,200 Speaker 1: uh spending cannot be political. Uh, no comment on that part, 529 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:26,240 Speaker 1: but it's unenforceable. Basically. Well, IRS did try to enforce 530 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,120 Speaker 1: it once. Yes, that's where I was headed. The i 531 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:31,760 Speaker 1: R S UH made the mistake of going too hard 532 00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: at the tea party, um because they felt like they 533 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:38,000 Speaker 1: were the worst offenders, and it backfired on them in 534 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:42,480 Speaker 1: a big way. UM to say the least, would you say, Yeah, Well, 535 00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:46,080 Speaker 1: the GOP in Congress came down hard on the i 536 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:48,680 Speaker 1: r S. They got the i R S director removed 537 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:52,120 Speaker 1: from her position, got a new person installed. And this 538 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:56,240 Speaker 1: new guy has basically said, like you know this, I'm 539 00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:59,200 Speaker 1: just going with everything the Supreme Court thinks. So I'm 540 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:02,480 Speaker 1: gonna stop and forcing this. And even if the I 541 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 1: R S wanted to enforce these rules that that they're 542 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:11,720 Speaker 1: tasked with making sure that there's transparency, right, Um, Uh, 543 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:14,600 Speaker 1: the Senate actually inserted a couple of bills. And by 544 00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:20,560 Speaker 1: Senate I mean Mitch McConnell, who hates campaign finance laws. Uh, 545 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:23,880 Speaker 1: he got a couple of bills inserted in the omnibus 546 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:27,080 Speaker 1: spending bill, a couple of riders. Yes. Um. And if 547 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:29,600 Speaker 1: you guys, a lot of people may not know what 548 00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:35,040 Speaker 1: an omnibus spending bill is. It's basically a big, large, sweeping, uh, 549 00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:39,520 Speaker 1: set of many, many bills and writers all under one banner. 550 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:42,920 Speaker 1: It pays it's the government's budget. Well yeah, but it's 551 00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:45,000 Speaker 1: a it's they don't have to do with one another. 552 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:47,440 Speaker 1: You can when you hear like a rider was attached 553 00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:51,200 Speaker 1: to it. That that a lot of times means someone 554 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:55,320 Speaker 1: is trying to sort of sneak something through. Right, So 555 00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:58,480 Speaker 1: if you attach a rider to the right bill, you 556 00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 1: can get almost anything passed. And you know, I shouldn't 557 00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:04,440 Speaker 1: say sneak something through because it's not like it's in secret, 558 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:07,080 Speaker 1: but it's a way. It's a very convenient way to 559 00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:10,440 Speaker 1: pass a controversial amendment. Right. Okay, So if you if 560 00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:12,680 Speaker 1: you take a very cherry bill like one that has 561 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:15,400 Speaker 1: to pass, like the bill that pays for the government 562 00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:18,759 Speaker 1: spending for the next year. And you insert a writer 563 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:20,360 Speaker 1: in there that says the I R S is not 564 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:25,359 Speaker 1: allowed to make clearer rules on UH five oh one 565 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:30,680 Speaker 1: C fours and political action committees spending on politics. You're 566 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:33,680 Speaker 1: gonna get it passed. And it did get passed. Yeah. 567 00:34:33,719 --> 00:34:35,880 Speaker 1: And another thing that got passed was, remember when we 568 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 1: talked about the fact that shareholders wanted to know if 569 00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:42,279 Speaker 1: their corporations who they were donating to. They also got 570 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:45,439 Speaker 1: a almost said snuck it in. They almost also got 571 00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:47,719 Speaker 1: in a writer that said, no, corporations don't have to 572 00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:50,839 Speaker 1: do that. They they did. They said that. They said 573 00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:54,880 Speaker 1: that the SEC is not allowed to make rules considering 574 00:34:55,400 --> 00:35:00,279 Speaker 1: making corporations disclosed political contribution. Yeah, you cannot for them 575 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,239 Speaker 1: to do that. So there's a ban on the I 576 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:06,319 Speaker 1: R S clarifying its rules and the SEC creating a 577 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:09,000 Speaker 1: rule just clarifying. They just wanted it more clearly defined 578 00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:11,839 Speaker 1: in existing you can't do that, but we like it 579 00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:15,600 Speaker 1: really nebulous. So Congress said, sit down, when it comes 580 00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:18,840 Speaker 1: to campaign finance stuff, you you don't do your jobs anymore. 581 00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:22,759 Speaker 1: Your regulatory stuff is over with now. UH. Individuals have 582 00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:28,040 Speaker 1: petitioned UH these companies UM and sometimes they voluntarily given 583 00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:31,319 Speaker 1: it up. But if that's the solution, then it's not 584 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,960 Speaker 1: much of one. And then so lastly, so the SEC 585 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:39,439 Speaker 1: is down, the I R. S Is down, UM, and 586 00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:43,719 Speaker 1: the last the last agency that was tasked with enforcing 587 00:35:43,719 --> 00:35:48,200 Speaker 1: transparency was the Federal Elections Commission itself. Yeah, surely they 588 00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:50,000 Speaker 1: would step up and do the right thing. So the 589 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:54,880 Speaker 1: Federal Elections Commission is now split three and three along 590 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:59,480 Speaker 1: party lines and apparently deadlocks as a matter of routine. 591 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:04,120 Speaker 1: So you need four commissioners for FBC commissioners to take 592 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:07,399 Speaker 1: action on anything to get a quorum, right, they can't 593 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:10,280 Speaker 1: even get a quorum. So as far as campaign finance 594 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:13,239 Speaker 1: stuff goes, they have been sitting on their hands since 595 00:36:13,239 --> 00:36:17,040 Speaker 1: two thousand ten. And there was a couple of rulings 596 00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:21,279 Speaker 1: about UM transparency that that that are about the last 597 00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:24,120 Speaker 1: things they did. So in two thousand and seven they said, 598 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:27,560 Speaker 1: you know that McCain fine gold requirement that says if 599 00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:31,279 Speaker 1: you spend a thousand dollars or more contributing to a 600 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:36,040 Speaker 1: political group or campaign, you have to disclose it. We 601 00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:41,200 Speaker 1: the Federal Elections Commission decided that that means that if 602 00:36:41,239 --> 00:36:46,440 Speaker 1: you spend a thousand dollars or more on a political 603 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:50,920 Speaker 1: like communication like an AD, then you have to disclose it. 604 00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:53,400 Speaker 1: So that means that if you if you contributed a 605 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:56,839 Speaker 1: thousand dollars to a political action committee, you would have 606 00:36:56,920 --> 00:37:00,880 Speaker 1: to say this is for ads, well for this ad 607 00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:04,239 Speaker 1: specifically that came later. But yeah, that's the way it 608 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:08,000 Speaker 1: is now, which no one ever does. It's another loophole. 609 00:37:08,239 --> 00:37:13,120 Speaker 1: So this last thing, this last bastion of transparency, to 610 00:37:13,239 --> 00:37:16,880 Speaker 1: where you had to say I donated a thousand dollars 611 00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:20,440 Speaker 1: or more. You you would have to say it is 612 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:23,200 Speaker 1: not just for an attack AD. It's for attack AD 613 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:27,040 Speaker 1: number two thirty eight. Hillary hates America. That's what this 614 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:29,719 Speaker 1: money is for. And like you said, no one does 615 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:31,840 Speaker 1: that because they don't have to. So you so that 616 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:34,520 Speaker 1: as far as the Federal Elections Commission is concerned, you 617 00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:37,919 Speaker 1: don't have to say you donated that thousand dollars. Yeah, 618 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:40,440 Speaker 1: they don't have to, so they won't because they don't 619 00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:42,759 Speaker 1: want their name attached to it, which is the most 620 00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:45,200 Speaker 1: cowardly thing you can do. You know, if you think 621 00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:48,240 Speaker 1: about it, Well, yeah, there's this, Well that's the argument. 622 00:37:48,239 --> 00:37:51,600 Speaker 1: That's a lot of people's argument is anonymous political speech 623 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,799 Speaker 1: keeps you from um getting blowback from the powers that 624 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:58,279 Speaker 1: be or whatever. And there was this woman who has 625 00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:02,680 Speaker 1: caught handing out anonymous pamphlets that she wrote outside of 626 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:06,600 Speaker 1: a polling place, which apparently was illegal under McCain fine Gold, 627 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:09,400 Speaker 1: and everybody was like, well, there's a long, proud tradition 628 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:14,880 Speaker 1: of handing out anonymous right. The Federalist papers were originally anonymous. 629 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:19,480 Speaker 1: And Justice Scalia, who was who died recently, Um, he 630 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:22,680 Speaker 1: was actually very very conservative, and in his descent on 631 00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:25,520 Speaker 1: that ruling in favor of the woman's right to handle 632 00:38:25,719 --> 00:38:30,160 Speaker 1: out anonymous pamphlets said, anonymous pamphlets have about as much 633 00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:34,239 Speaker 1: historic tradition and precedents as anonymous phone calls in this country. 634 00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:38,520 Speaker 1: They're not honorable. There's something honorable about anonymously lambasting something 635 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:40,920 Speaker 1: that didn't translate to the rest of the court as 636 00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:44,240 Speaker 1: far as Citizens United is concerned. Yeah, it's the equivalent 637 00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:46,200 Speaker 1: of of going in the dark of night and like 638 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:49,000 Speaker 1: spray painting something on the wall and running away. Right, 639 00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:53,359 Speaker 1: It's true, you know. So here's where we're at right now. 640 00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:57,400 Speaker 1: The Supreme Court ruled that corporations are people. They already 641 00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:00,560 Speaker 1: had ruled that they upheld it politic to go money 642 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:06,160 Speaker 1: is protected speech, right, So this opened the floodgates to 643 00:39:06,320 --> 00:39:08,920 Speaker 1: unlimited money to five O one C fours, which are 644 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:11,920 Speaker 1: nonprofit action groups who do not need to disclose their 645 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:16,600 Speaker 1: donor's identities, which means that you could you could contribute 646 00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:19,279 Speaker 1: as much money as you wanted to anonymously to a 647 00:39:19,320 --> 00:39:23,839 Speaker 1: political campaign. So the SEC was banned from requiring corporate disclosure, 648 00:39:24,120 --> 00:39:26,800 Speaker 1: the i r S was banned from investigating the political 649 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:30,840 Speaker 1: action groups themselves, and then the FEC, the Federal Elections Commission, 650 00:39:30,880 --> 00:39:34,359 Speaker 1: removed the last transparency requirements of the donors. And an 651 00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:37,839 Speaker 1: estimated ten billion dollars is going to be spent on 652 00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:41,480 Speaker 1: this two thousand sixteen campaign, five or six billion on 653 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:46,480 Speaker 1: the presidency right, two billion was spent in two thousand twelve. 654 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:51,319 Speaker 1: So the big question here is, are you the individual 655 00:39:51,800 --> 00:39:55,960 Speaker 1: upping your political contribution five times? Do you account for 656 00:39:56,040 --> 00:39:59,239 Speaker 1: this enormous increase from two billion to five or six 657 00:39:59,320 --> 00:40:06,399 Speaker 1: billion dollars? No? No, of course not. So there are 658 00:40:06,480 --> 00:40:08,799 Speaker 1: some folks that started digging around and said, all right, 659 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:13,040 Speaker 1: who's funding who's finding some of these uh efforts? Uh 660 00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:17,520 Speaker 1: maybe like climate change denial, Some somebody's funding this stuff. 661 00:40:17,920 --> 00:40:20,240 Speaker 1: So there's a guy named well at drects the University 662 00:40:20,280 --> 00:40:23,839 Speaker 1: and environmental it's like UH sociologist named Robert Brule. He said, 663 00:40:23,880 --> 00:40:25,399 Speaker 1: you know what, let me look into this and see 664 00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:29,040 Speaker 1: somebody is giving a lot of money to climate change denial. 665 00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:32,759 Speaker 1: And UM XN was was given a ton of money 666 00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:35,480 Speaker 1: like blatantly for years and years and again the Koke Brothers, 667 00:40:35,520 --> 00:40:37,640 Speaker 1: the Koke brothers, and we all knew that because it 668 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:40,080 Speaker 1: was all you know on record. But a weird thing 669 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:44,040 Speaker 1: happened once these changes came about. UM, the Koch Brothers, 670 00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:47,360 Speaker 1: A Coke Industries and x On Mobile their cash flow 671 00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:50,399 Speaker 1: to climate change and I'll disappeared without a trace. Yeah 672 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:55,440 Speaker 1: the stuff. But a hundred and forty foundations funneled almost 673 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:59,800 Speaker 1: six hundred million dollars to about one hundred climate denial 674 00:40:59,920 --> 00:41:05,680 Speaker 1: or organizations. Uh since then, and their money dried up. 675 00:41:06,080 --> 00:41:09,799 Speaker 1: This money increased into anonymous five. You don't need to 676 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:12,839 Speaker 1: be a Sherlock colums to figure out what's going on here. Yeah. 677 00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:14,480 Speaker 1: And the other thing about a five O one C 678 00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:18,360 Speaker 1: four is let's say you have a really great UM, 679 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:21,240 Speaker 1: a really great political action committee. You're a really great 680 00:41:21,440 --> 00:41:27,080 Speaker 1: UM social social awareness group, right, UM or social welfare group, 681 00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:30,200 Speaker 1: and you don't want to let that brand die because 682 00:41:30,239 --> 00:41:33,279 Speaker 1: it's really established itself, but you don't want to keep 683 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:36,719 Speaker 1: funneling money to it because climate denial has a bad 684 00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:39,600 Speaker 1: name these days. Right, You can funnel money to a 685 00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:42,719 Speaker 1: five oh one c four that funnels money to that 686 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:48,319 Speaker 1: political action committee and you your donation is it's it's 687 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:52,920 Speaker 1: basically laundered, your laundering your donation, turning it anonymous, but 688 00:41:53,000 --> 00:41:56,200 Speaker 1: it's still having the same effect, the same outcome. Yeah, 689 00:41:56,200 --> 00:42:00,200 Speaker 1: thanks to that loophole. Yeah, and then one more chuckle more. 690 00:42:00,200 --> 00:42:02,360 Speaker 1: Criticism of this whole thing is if you say, so what, 691 00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:05,760 Speaker 1: who cares? This is the way the world works, especially 692 00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:10,239 Speaker 1: with corporations in particular, if they start doing what's called 693 00:42:10,239 --> 00:42:14,919 Speaker 1: rent seeking, which is there's a there's a an established pie, 694 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:17,920 Speaker 1: and when you rent seek, you go to get your 695 00:42:17,960 --> 00:42:21,759 Speaker 1: piece of the pie. It keeps you from innovating. You 696 00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:25,319 Speaker 1: start going spending your money on legislation. Yeah, it's like 697 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:28,279 Speaker 1: rentsing is basically, if you're a big corporation spending a 698 00:42:28,320 --> 00:42:32,440 Speaker 1: hundred million dollars on lobbying for regulations against your competitor 699 00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:35,759 Speaker 1: instead of spending that one hundred million dollars investing in 700 00:42:35,800 --> 00:42:39,440 Speaker 1: your own corporation to grow, which is no good for shareholders. No, 701 00:42:39,640 --> 00:42:42,000 Speaker 1: your bottom line still kind of goes up. But really 702 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:46,200 Speaker 1: you're just reaching the path towards stagnation because you're not 703 00:42:46,239 --> 00:42:52,680 Speaker 1: innovating anymore. And the public loses out because regulation decreases. Right, Um, 704 00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:55,799 Speaker 1: jobs are lost because you're not innovating. And then as 705 00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:58,239 Speaker 1: far as consumers are concerned, there's like less stuff to 706 00:42:58,280 --> 00:43:01,520 Speaker 1: buy because the corporation and are going for the piece 707 00:43:01,560 --> 00:43:03,520 Speaker 1: of the pie rather than making the pie bigger or 708 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:06,120 Speaker 1: creating new pies. Yeah, going for the money that's already 709 00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:12,000 Speaker 1: out there. So the solution I think is strictly public 710 00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:15,799 Speaker 1: financing of campaigns. Like I have no problem with that. 711 00:43:16,200 --> 00:43:21,040 Speaker 1: Just say, here's a hundred million dollars to the candidates 712 00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:25,480 Speaker 1: who won the primaries, right and um, get creative. This 713 00:43:25,520 --> 00:43:27,839 Speaker 1: is all you got. You are. It's illegal to use 714 00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:31,239 Speaker 1: another penny outside of these public funds that were just 715 00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:35,719 Speaker 1: given to you as the the party candidates go to it. 716 00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:39,759 Speaker 1: Everything else is totally illegal. I can't imagine what a 717 00:43:39,760 --> 00:43:43,080 Speaker 1: sea change it would be in politics. I can't imagine 718 00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:45,799 Speaker 1: there would be another loophole. Well, you know what would 719 00:43:45,800 --> 00:43:50,080 Speaker 1: happen is Suddenly these um these political action committees would 720 00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:53,880 Speaker 1: start attacking this idea, saying, you, Josh Moo, you can't 721 00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:57,440 Speaker 1: vote with your or you can't your political speech from 722 00:43:57,480 --> 00:44:01,280 Speaker 1: your campaign contributions being restricted. Your amendment rights are being restricted. 723 00:44:01,280 --> 00:44:04,000 Speaker 1: Your fifty you were going to give candidate which is 724 00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:08,920 Speaker 1: suddenly taken on huge dimensions of import Uh, it's being restricted. 725 00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:13,160 Speaker 1: And that's exactly what would happen. Who so we moved 726 00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:17,400 Speaker 1: into Finland. No, we need to take this country back. Man, 727 00:44:17,719 --> 00:44:19,799 Speaker 1: what's the best country? That's what I want to know 728 00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:22,719 Speaker 1: from listeners. Which one is the best? I can't wait 729 00:44:22,719 --> 00:44:27,040 Speaker 1: to hear Costa Rica. That's pretty nice. Right. If you 730 00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:31,160 Speaker 1: want to know more about UM campaign finance, dark money, 731 00:44:31,280 --> 00:44:34,359 Speaker 1: all that jazz, we want you to go check it out. 732 00:44:34,480 --> 00:44:36,239 Speaker 1: Look up dark money in the search bar at how 733 00:44:36,280 --> 00:44:39,040 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com, and just check out dark money 734 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:41,920 Speaker 1: all over the web, including Jane Mayer from The New 735 00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:44,560 Speaker 1: Yorker wrote a really interesting book called dark Money All 736 00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:48,799 Speaker 1: about the Koch Brothers. Yeah, fantastic. Well, since I said, uh, 737 00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:53,319 Speaker 1: Jane Mayer, it's time for listener man. All right, I'm 738 00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:59,120 Speaker 1: gonna call this one. Uh maybe appropriate for this well 739 00:44:59,160 --> 00:45:02,759 Speaker 1: not really. Some Body funding us. This is from a 740 00:45:02,800 --> 00:45:06,160 Speaker 1: coal miner about our Bill Gates podcast. He said, Hey, guys, 741 00:45:06,160 --> 00:45:08,840 Speaker 1: one problem that no one ever seems to talk about 742 00:45:08,840 --> 00:45:12,319 Speaker 1: with renewable energy is the people. The people you ask, well, 743 00:45:12,760 --> 00:45:15,040 Speaker 1: I was an underground coal miner for seven years until 744 00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:16,680 Speaker 1: the market got so bad that I lost my job. 745 00:45:17,040 --> 00:45:19,919 Speaker 1: And I'm just one of seven thousand plus people here 746 00:45:19,920 --> 00:45:22,120 Speaker 1: in eastern Kentucky that has been hit hard by this. 747 00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:24,799 Speaker 1: I'm not saying we need to stick with coal, it's 748 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:26,880 Speaker 1: just the people. Don't think about the people that are 749 00:45:26,920 --> 00:45:30,960 Speaker 1: behind the fossil fuel industry losing jobs. Not only are 750 00:45:31,040 --> 00:45:33,680 Speaker 1: people losing their way of life, but entire towns are 751 00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:36,040 Speaker 1: being killed. I can't count how many people have had 752 00:45:36,080 --> 00:45:38,359 Speaker 1: to leave the place that they've called home their entire 753 00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:42,200 Speaker 1: life to find work. Along with new renewable, cheaper energy, 754 00:45:42,280 --> 00:45:44,680 Speaker 1: we need to find jobs to fill that void of 755 00:45:44,719 --> 00:45:48,839 Speaker 1: those who have been lost. Yeah, you know, I mean 756 00:45:49,600 --> 00:45:52,600 Speaker 1: it's not like because creating renewable energy creates a lot 757 00:45:52,600 --> 00:45:54,600 Speaker 1: of jobs, but they're not going to the coal miners. 758 00:45:54,960 --> 00:45:57,400 Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying. But however, this is kind 759 00:45:57,400 --> 00:45:59,080 Speaker 1: of neat um. I was lucky enough to find work 760 00:45:59,120 --> 00:46:02,200 Speaker 1: at bit Source Tech start up here. The company hired 761 00:46:02,280 --> 00:46:05,239 Speaker 1: ten former coal miners and began teaching us how to 762 00:46:05,280 --> 00:46:09,040 Speaker 1: web and how to be web and software developers. UH. 763 00:46:09,080 --> 00:46:11,680 Speaker 1: The only problem is there only ten of us UH 764 00:46:11,719 --> 00:46:13,560 Speaker 1: and it's just this one company, and they cannot feel 765 00:46:13,560 --> 00:46:16,120 Speaker 1: the void of all those who lost jobs. I know 766 00:46:16,200 --> 00:46:17,640 Speaker 1: that you guys might be able to help shed some 767 00:46:17,719 --> 00:46:20,080 Speaker 1: light on this problem. Like I said, no one thinks 768 00:46:20,080 --> 00:46:22,200 Speaker 1: about the people and the families that are hurt by progress, 769 00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:25,400 Speaker 1: but it happens. Someone told me once, you can be 770 00:46:25,480 --> 00:46:27,879 Speaker 1: the best wheelmaker out there, but if no one needs 771 00:46:27,920 --> 00:46:31,440 Speaker 1: wheels anymore, doesn't matter how good you are. Thanks for 772 00:46:31,480 --> 00:46:33,440 Speaker 1: the podcast. I love to listen on my drive to 773 00:46:33,560 --> 00:46:36,400 Speaker 1: and from work. That is Michael Harrison. That is a 774 00:46:36,400 --> 00:46:40,440 Speaker 1: great point, Michael. It is everybody should do something or 775 00:46:40,560 --> 00:46:43,360 Speaker 1: maybe train these people in new renewable energy forms. Sure, 776 00:46:43,440 --> 00:46:45,960 Speaker 1: and this bit source company is a pretty good example 777 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:50,120 Speaker 1: of how the market can can swoop in and in 778 00:46:51,840 --> 00:46:55,600 Speaker 1: foster progress basically right. Sure, but the fact that they're 779 00:46:55,840 --> 00:47:00,200 Speaker 1: hiring ten coal miners out of seven thousand UH who 780 00:47:00,200 --> 00:47:03,240 Speaker 1: need jobs is also an example of how the market 781 00:47:03,280 --> 00:47:06,359 Speaker 1: doesn't do that. And like you could, this is where 782 00:47:06,360 --> 00:47:10,680 Speaker 1: government comes in. Government spending. Say, okay, let's move forward 783 00:47:10,760 --> 00:47:15,120 Speaker 1: and lay the infrastructure for an enormous high speed internet 784 00:47:15,760 --> 00:47:19,840 Speaker 1: um national grid. We need people to install that, we 785 00:47:19,880 --> 00:47:22,360 Speaker 1: need people to design it, we need people to develop it, 786 00:47:22,400 --> 00:47:24,920 Speaker 1: we need people to maintain it. Let's take people who 787 00:47:24,960 --> 00:47:28,040 Speaker 1: don't have jobs, train them to do this stuff, build 788 00:47:28,080 --> 00:47:31,200 Speaker 1: this infrastructure, and just take off like a rocket from there. 789 00:47:32,560 --> 00:47:36,879 Speaker 1: That's one thing you could do, agreed. Uh. Man, we're 790 00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:40,600 Speaker 1: gonna get some mail for this whole episode. Good uh. 791 00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:42,320 Speaker 1: If you want to get in touch with us to 792 00:47:42,400 --> 00:47:44,520 Speaker 1: let us know what you think about this whole jam, 793 00:47:44,560 --> 00:47:47,400 Speaker 1: you can tweet to us at s y s K podcast. 794 00:47:47,800 --> 00:47:49,960 Speaker 1: You can join us on Facebook, dot com, slash Stuff 795 00:47:49,960 --> 00:47:51,840 Speaker 1: you Should Know. You can send us an email to 796 00:47:51,880 --> 00:47:54,840 Speaker 1: Stuff podcast at how stuff Works dot com, and as always, 797 00:47:55,120 --> 00:47:57,240 Speaker 1: join assert a home on the web. Stuff you Should 798 00:47:57,280 --> 00:48:01,880 Speaker 1: Know dot Com Radio. Stuff you Should Know is a 799 00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:05,280 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts my Heart Radio, 800 00:48:05,520 --> 00:48:08,520 Speaker 1: visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 801 00:48:08,560 --> 00:48:12,840 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows. H