Swift Boat Veterans for Truth: A Case Study For Frame Building
Abstract
One of the issues that faced politicians and the public during the 2004 presidential campaign was the increased involvement of advocacy and interest groups in the electoral process and the battle for public opinion. The 2004 election was the first presidential election after the passage of the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, which banned money provided to political parties that was "previously exempt from federal campaign-contribution limits" (O'Rourke, 2005, p. 36), such as large contributions from unions, corporations and wealthy individuals. The McCain-Feingold Act also banned the large contributions to political parties for "party building activities" (O'Rourke, 2005, p. 36), however, the new law did not ban unlimited donations "to independent groups organized under section 527 of the tax code" ("The 527 Charade", Aug. 31,2004, p. A12). As a result, there was a shift in 2004 presidential campaign contributions from the political parties to those organizations established as 527 organizations. According to the September 4, 2004, edition of The Economist "527s are flush with cash this year thanks to a change in the campaign finance rules" (p. 35). Additionally, many critics of the McCain-Fiengold campaign finance reform bill believe that since the bill was signed more organizations will be established under Section 527 than previously to take advantage of the shift in allowable donations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA450594
Entities
People
- John A. Elolf
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology