1. APS Day 38 Agenda Goal – to understand that elections are expensive and the media play a significant role in influencing public opinion. Warm-up – 1. identify the difference between interest groups and PACs. 2. list the sources of money for candidates. 3. list the 4 types of political advertisements A.Review Citizens United v FEC reading comprehension activity B.Debate – Citizens United v FEC will be good for the political process. C.Identifying ads – determine what type each example is. D.Complete packet page 13 about the role of the mass media E.Review for quiz F.Review judiciary test.

2. Citizens United v FEC (2010) 1. What did the Supreme Court decide? The Supreme Court ruled that corporations have the same First Amendment rights to free speech as individuals when it comes to the election process. 2. By what margin did the Supreme Court make it's decision? The justices voted 5-4. 3. How will this decision impact campaigns? The ruling will make it easier for organizations to campaign for or against a candidate using broadcast media. 4. How did President Obama react to the decision? Republicans? Reaction to the court's decision ran the spectrum. President Obama condemned it. In a statement he warned the result will be a "stampede of special interest money in our politics.“ Republicans welcomed the decision. House Minority Leader John Boehner called it a "big win for the First Amendment." 5. What was "Hillary: The Movie"? A documentary that was highly critical of Hillary Clinton, who was running for the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.

3. Citizens United v FEC (2010) 6. Why did the Federal Election Commission have a problem with Hillary: The Movie? The Federal Election Commission (FEC) claimed that the film was a violation of campaign finance laws and pulled the plug. But Citizens United fought this decision all the way up to the Supreme Court. The group argued that the right to distribute their movie was protected by the First Amendment's promise of free speech. 7. Under what part of the 2002 McCain-Feingold Act did the FEC challenge the documentary? Part of McCain-Feingold said ads paid for by corporations or unions that state the name of a candidate would be outlawed within 30 days of a primary or caucus, and within 60 days of a general election. As an interest group, Citizens United was subject to the McCain-Feingold law. The FEC ruled that "Hillary: The Movie" was essentially a long oppositional ad. This wouldn't have been a problem, but the documentary was released on January 15, 2008-- less than a month before "Super Tuesday" when the largest number of states held primary elections. 8. How did the First Amendment play a role in the Supreme Court's decision? ANSWER The Supreme Court's decision was closely split, with the five more conservative judges arguing that the FEC's strict advertising limits restrained free speech in a way that was unconstitutional.

4. Citizens United v FEC (2010) 8. How did the First Amendment play a role in the Supreme Court's decision? The Supreme Court's decision was closely split, with the five more conservative judges arguing that the FEC's strict advertising limits restrained free speech in a way that was unconstitutional.

5. Waitch the following ads and determine what type each 1. Advertisement 1 – ed in 08 2. Advertisement 2 – every single day 3. Advertisement 3 – Harold Ford 4. Advertisement 4 – One Tough Nerd 5. Advertisement 5 – Pat and Al

6. 1.name recognition - stickers, posters, print ads, free media 2.position promotion/issue advertising - focuses on presenting a particular view of an issue and somehow linking the candidate to that positive view of the position 3.positive image - ads that make the candidate look good or show that the candidate has good ideaspositive image 4.negative ads - ads that attack the opposing candidate, making the opposition look bad. Types of advertising

7. Committee to Elect Roy Blunt, Inc. Receives ONLY HARD money from: Individuals – $2,300 per election PACs - $5,000/election Federal Gov’t – matching funds up to $250/private donation Prohibited – NOT Prohibited – companies, labor unions, banks may NOT donate any $ Spends money for: Advertising Travel Office staff Campaign consultants Office supplies Mailing Polling $ Political Action Committees (PACs) Receive $ from: Individuals - $5,000/yr Other PACs - $5,000/yr Prohibited – NOT Prohibited – companies, labor unions, banks may NOT donate any $ National Political Party – gets $ from: Individuals – $25,000/yr PACs – $15,000/yr Soft Money $ National Political Party – got Soft Money $ from: Individuals – unlimitedBusinesses - unlimited PACs – unlimitedUnions - unlimited Soft $ spent on “issue ads” “Informational ads” Party-building activities Election spending ave. House - $900,000 Senate - $4 million President - $125 million BCRA ‘ 02

8. Factors, Problems and Proposed Solutions for the campaign finance situation Factors that contribute to perceived problems in campaign finance: 1 – campaigns seem to be exorbitantly expensive relative to incomes of normal Americans 2 – Federal Election Commission is virtually toothless – unable to enforce laws effectively. This is partially caused by having an even number of Democrats and Republicans, and any actions the FEC takes needs a majority vote. 3 – candidates and politicians spend a lot of time raising money 4 – there are still loopholes in the election finance laws that allow for abuses like Swift Boat Veterans and The Media Fund – independent expenditures very closely connected to the campaigns 5 – Free Speech allows for …free speech and thus few limits on spending and campaigning

9. Factors, Problems and Proposed Solutions for campaign finance Problems caused by the above factors 1 - Congress does not spend enough time legislating if it is spending so much time on raising money – 60% of time raising money in an election year. 2 - There is a public perception that politicians are corrupt – therefore there is a lack of trust in politicians when asked if the “candidate cares about people like me.” 3 - Voters see candidates spend time with donors and not with the public therefore… 4 - Voters believe the system benefits the wealthy, the elite and the corporations at the common person’s expense 5 - Money buys access, therefore the people with money get their views heard, and the common person or the less well-connected gets frozen out of the policy-making process. This is especially apparent relative to… 6 - Special interest groups appear to exert too much influence over policy- making 7 - With so much money available, it is profligately spent leading to vast numbers of negative ads.