Omitted, according to critics, are tens of millions more spent on “issue ads” that aired earlier in the cycle and did not have to be reported to the FEC.
The OpenSecrets Blog and the Center for Responsive Politics reported today that political spending by non-disclosing or secret political non-profit lobbying funds, aka dark money groups, has reached $50 million, a record at this point in the election cycle.
Moreover, this is likely a bogus figure because that is just the amount that has been reported to the hapless and ineffective Federal Election Commission.
Omitted, according to critics, are tens of millions more spent on “issue ads” that aired earlier in the cycle and did not have to be reported to the agency. It is the latest reminder that this is shaping up to be the darkest election in perhaps U.S. history.
The Center for Responsive Politics projects that dark money spending in the 2014 midterm elections will match or exceed the spending records set in the last presidential election. If the rate of spending from previous cycles continues, totals could reach upwards of $730 million or — if the rate seen in the last midterm holds — get close to $1 billion. Thus giving us the finest politicians that money can buy.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
