With hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on political campaigns in 2010, shedding light on the money trail would take a cadre of investigators working around the clock. Transparency is a long-stated but often unmet goal in American politics. At Aristotle we believe one of the best ways to shed light on campaigns is to put the flashlight in your hands.
That's the reason we're partnering with The Huffington Post to launch Fundrace.org, a site dedicated to lifting the veil on 2010 political contributions.
This empowering tool can also bring a bit of fun. Did you know in 2008 Ben Stiller contributed $6,900 dollars to the Hillary Clinton campaign or that the Ron Paul campaign received $2,300 dollars from Barry Manilow? While celebrities are known to contribute their big bucks in support, what about your neighbors? Your boss? By the way, there have been no reported contributions from Nicole Polizzi (aka Snooki), yet. But when she does become politically active weighs in on any electoral contest, you could be the first to know.
Starting today, visitors to the Huffington Post will have access to information like this in just a few clicks. If you're a campaign manager for a House race, an opposition researcher or you want to see which candidate your boss is supporting in order to show that you, too, are among the enlightened, Fundrace.org makes it easy.
While a number of outlets provide fact-checking throughout the campaign, Fundrace.org allows you to follow the money on your own. And with political contributions going back 10 years, you'll also be able to track trends in campaign money. Fundrace.org is the kind of useful election tool that we believe every American, whether on the left or the right or somewhere in the middle, will come to value as a mainstay of every election season.