Sheldon Adelson
The pool of dark money floating around the 2014 campaign on behalf of Republicans is getting bigger and darker, with casino tycoon
Sheldon Adelson willing to pitch in $100 million to help the Kochs buy the Senate:
Several of the casino mogul’s largest checks, in the mid-seven to low-eight figure range, are being sent to a quartet of conservative nonprofits that under IRS rules can mask donors’ names, say three GOP operatives and donors familiar with his contributions.
Adelson is focused heavily on helping the GOP capture the Senate, and by writing mega checks to politically active nonprofits, he can stay under the radar while still lavishing tens of millions of dollars groups that help Republicans get elected.
According to GOP sources, the most prominent dark-money outfits that have received—or are expecting—Adelson’s biggest checks are Americans for Prosperity, which was founded by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch; Crossroads GPS, which was cofounded by strategist and informal Adelson advisor Karl Rove; the conservative pro-Israel Republican Jewish Coalition; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Doesn't get much darker than that. The money will be spent in the states that have already been subjected to millions of Koch dollars—Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, and North Carolina—in hopes of flipping these seats to Republicans. Whether this is part of the $125 million that the Kochs are reportedly planning to spend this year, or whether this amount is on top of it is unclear. Either way, Republicans candidates aren't going to be lacking in funds to back them up, either in political advertising or field operations.
Whether Aldelson actually spends this money and where it will go will, of course, remain a secret unless someone blabs about it. That's because the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Citizens United that American democracy was all about multibillionaires being able to spend as much money as they want to buy government while keeping it all secret.
Senate Democrats think that this isn't such a good thing, and on September 8, next Monday, they will bring a constitutional amendment to overrule the Citizens United and McCutcheon decisions to the floor. This vote isn't expected to withstand a Republican filibuster, but that's not necessarily a terrible thing. It will show the nation's citizens where their senators stand—with the American people or with the multibillionaires.
Sign and send the petition to your two U.S. Senators, urging them to vote “yes” on Senate Joint Resolution 19—a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and McCutcheon, whether they have come out in support or not.