www.cnn.com/2015/11/politics/bernie-sanders-super-pac-nurses-union/index.html
Bernie Sanders has been supported by a super PAC , but wait, isn't that a little contradicting to his previous stances on the corrupt nature of the campaign finance and fundraising system?
The super PAC: National Nurses United For Patient Protection Spent $ 569,000 backing Sanders in his presidential run since August. How can Sanders stick to a non- super PAC pledge if he himself is supported by the first national union to endorse an presidential election ? Most of Bernie's supporters say they like him because of his anti-super PAC financing stance how will they react ? Bernie's team responded that they were flattered but they do not have a super PAC, don't want a super-PAC and wont in the future either. How can they explain the support then ? Michael Lightly ( the nurses union political director) disagreed and explained that the National Nurses United For Patient Protection is not actually a super PAC. He says " It was set up originally under the pre-citizen United rules, so it is not a super PAC". On the other hand the FEC declares that it is in fact a super PAC it doesn't matter that it happened to be established in 2009 one year before the 2012 U.S Supreme Court decision to proliferate super PACs. In response the Union said that they "exists to protect nurse and patients and, no other candidate has better amplified the critical issues nurses have voiced for many years than Sanders, we are proud to support Sanders and will continue to do so."
Even though this group is "by definition" a Super PAC, it is simply a way for the union to contribute more money. Sanders is a huge pro-union dude and this endorsement is no surprise. When Sanders says he is against Super PACs I feel confident when I say that he is talking about corporately funded Super PACs. But, I'm sure he will catch a bit of hell for this in the next debate but it should be easily defensible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Patrick, I do not believe this is a super pac because it is a union, however the fact that he is getting tons of money from them is slightly worrying because it still is something he came out against but is still accepting money from a huge group.
ReplyDeleteThe basis behind Sanders' rule of not accepting Super PACs is regarding political corruption and how corporations who donate large sums of money to candidates will be given influence over policies of the candidates if they are voted in, thus making the candidates simply puppets for the corporations. Since National Nurses United for Patient Protection is not a business corporation, and has a blatantly altruistic purpose which is already in line with Sanders' beliefs, it wouldn't make much sense to criticize him for accepting money from them. However, I'm sure people will split hairs and somewhow use this as ammunition against Sanders.
ReplyDeleteWell I went to the link and it error-ed, so UH OH.
ReplyDeleteI don't like how Bernie goes against accepting large clumps of money, but then takes this money. That scares me a little to see that he goes against his words. But after reading the last quote, I believe that the union is going after rights and doesn't seem like a scheme to gain money or anything, so I guess I'm okay with it.
Even if the union might not be a super PAC, many people probably aren't aware of that, so some of his support can dwindle. Hopefully Sanders can offer a good-enough explanation for receiving so much money from them.
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