Commentary
In their 2010 book “The Blueprint,” authors Adam Schrager and Rob Witwer document how four “progressive” Colorado mega-donors funded political hit squads to defeat Republican state legislative candidates. (After the book was published, one of the four mega-donors bought himself the state’s governorship.)
The authors explain that the mega-donors’ project was made possible by new state and federal campaign finance laws. These laws largely blocked donations from traditional bases of conservative support. But they allowed liberal multi-millionaires to finance political machines employing labor unions, canvassers, media monitors and other non-profits, the latest campaign technology, and negative ad campaigns. The flood of money was so overwhelming that targeted candidates couldn’t respond effectively….