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Political Spending: Civic Engagement is Not a Threat to Democracy
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The First Amendment guarantees every American freedom of speech. That freedom includes the right to spend money on speech. Without money, a political group cannot buy ads, print fliers, organize protests, or hire staff. Short of shouting one’s opinions on a street corner, it takes money to spread a message. Recognizing this relationship, the Supreme Court has long prohibited the…

Cato Institute Hosts Discussion on Corruption and Virtue in a Republic
January 29, 2018   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , , ,

Last week, the Cato Institute hosted a book forum on The Republic of Virtue: How We Tried to Ban Corruption, Failed, and What We ...

Looks Like Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Missed the Memo on Doing Wealthy Donors’ Bidding
January 18, 2018   •  By Alex Cordell   •  ,

The idea that politicians are only accountable to those who write the biggest checks has been peddled for years by those trying to justify ...

Decrying “Out-of-State” Spending Only Further Divides Americans
January 11, 2018   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

We live in politically polarized times – that’s about the one thing most Americans can agree on. A more contentious question is what – ...

Candidate Oprah? Campaign Finance Laws Would Give Her a Leg Up
January 8, 2018   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , ,

Oprah Winfrey’s speech at the Golden Globes this Sunday sparked speculation over whether the billionaire celebrity might run for president in 2020. Some are ...

More campaign finance regulation means less political free speech
December 27, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

Political donors have undermined “the very legitimacy of our democracy,” according to Russ Feingold, a former Democratic U.S. Senator from Wisconsin. In a recent ...

Out-of-State Spending Was a Tool for Local Change in Alabama
December 13, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

The Alabama special election for U.S. Senate concluded Tuesday with a win for Democrat Doug Jones. Given the deep-red electoral history of the state, ...

Political Contributions are Speech: Jeff Flake Edition
December 7, 2017   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , ,

Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake recently made a $100 contribution to Alabama’s Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Doug Jones. Along with the donation, Flake ...

No, “Big Donors” Aren’t the Only Ones Who Want Tax Reform
December 6, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

A perennial tactic in political debates is to oppose legislation not just in terms of ideology or policy soundness, but also to attribute the ...

Brace Yourself for the Tax Ads, You Just Might Learn Something
December 5, 2017   •  By Alex Cordell   •  , ,

As the end of the year approaches, legislation that amends portions of the federal tax code is moving quickly through Congress. Unsurprisingly, over the ...

Let’s Talk Turkey: Comparing 2016 Election and Thanksgiving Spending
December 4, 2017   •  By Alex Cordell   •  ,

Over Thanksgiving, one of your relatives may have mentioned the amount of money ($6.4 Billion) spent in the 2016 election cycle, asserting that there ...

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