Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

The dirtiest part about money in politics is when someone tries to shame you out of contributing. Unfortunately for them, there is nothing shameful about legally fighting for your issues.

Newsflash: Elections are expensive. The candidates you support, regardless of the level of government, put an incredible amount of work into raising funds to support their campaigns. There is absolutely nothing glamorous about the fundraising process. And as much as opportunists will bemoan that process, political action committees, and the chicken dinner circuit, the truth about money in politics is that it’s absolutely necessary.

Personally, I prefer my politicians to have a bit of socio-economic diversity. Do you? There are dedicated public servants out there who can only continue in their work if they are supported by their communities (both geographical, professional, industrial, etc). If you’re in a position to support someone who aligns with your causes, you should absolutely show up, participate in, and contribute to, the campaign process.

But what if you don’t know the candidates? How do you screen? How do you make sure your dollars are being put to effective use?

Enter the Political Action Committee (PAC)

I’m not talking about dark-money, super PACs. I’m talking about the closely watched, publicly reported organizations who operate in the sunlight of modern politics. Issue-focused Political Action Committees offer a framework for you to participate in politics while focusing on specific issues instead of partisan battles. Especially for moderates across the States, PACs are an important tool to bolster those who cross the partisan divides and work to constructively govern.

Early on in this blog I shared a piece by a good friend, Anne Thompson, who manages the work of such a PAC. In that piece she laid out some key lessons about what makes for a good PAC. I hope you check out that piece here.

Here’s a quick excerpt:

“At the end of the day, PACs are a vehicle through which like-minded individuals can pool their collective resources to support candidates for elected office who support ideals their organization seeks to promote.”

Anne Thompson, PAC Management

Unfortunately, PACs are inaccurately portrayed in our body politic. They are regularly under attack from all sides because operatives know: if you can dry up the funds for the other camp you have an advantage. So, they’ll actively promote tactics to discourage participation.

If you ever run into such an operative ask them this: Isn’t our system built on citizen participation? I have a hard time understanding how not doing so would help prevent bad politicians from being elected. Is it really a winning strategy for us to diminish involvement? Shouldn’t we focus on what really wins elections: getting people to the polls?

If you want to stand out in politics, consider joining a PAC. Consider contributing to an organization that represents your profession or industry and contributes to politicians of any party who support your causes. There are plenty of good, effective PACs out there. They stand for issues, and they’re an easy way to amplify your own effectiveness. Many also provide benefits to their members like political updates that will give you a clearer vision of the campaign and political environments.

When you’re ready to put your money where your mouth is, PACs are a good first step. And if you ever need a recommendation, drop me a line.