December 14, 2011 •
FEC Split for Partisan and Personal Reasons
A divided FEC has trouble deciding on campaign finance regulations
The 6 member Federal Election Commission, split equally along partisan lines, is often seen “hanging each other out to dry”.
In an article posted on Politico, Republican member of the FEC, Don McGahn states, “These public spats we have are very, very healthy. It’s a healthy ugly.” McGahn himself tore pages of regulations out of a book during a hearing, letting the scraps fall in order to prove a point to his Democratic colleagues whom he accused of disregarding their own rules.
With court decisions such as Citizens United v. The Federal Election Commission, the FEC has had more trouble than ever making decisions regarding campaign finance, and leaving politicians and their benefactors unsure what regulations they have to follow.
During the upcoming election season, the members of the FEC will have to set aside their differences so that they may set concrete campaign finance guidelines for the United States.
To read more, read FEC dysfunction not just politics, it’s personal by Dave Levinthal and Robin Bravender.
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