In 2002, Congress banned political parties from accepting soft money contributions and coordinating expenditures with candidates for federal office. In the presidential election two years later, rather than disappearing from the process, soft money was instead funneled into less accountable hands. Thus, the 527 organization was born.
Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on independent advertising and voter mobilization efforts in 2004, with a number of those efforts gaining infamy with their impact on the campaign. In 2007, major donors...
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