How a political group can attack working under the new McCain-Feingold campaign finance law is just beginning to emerge. Lynn Sweet turns on the lights to see how a group created a 527 group in attacking Howard Dean. Jim Moore questions whether the political hitman in question, David Jones, should face
libel and fraud charges. Rick Heller on
BOP News has an interesting take.
Whatever the determination, this highlights the new role of 527's. While it's certain that the new CFR have had beneficial effects of making the Democratic Party depend more upon small doners, the 527 groups, collecting unlimited "soft money" donations, seem like an unintended consequence. Especially for Republicans in Congress, calling the 527's a Democratic "shadow party" and threatening investigation, they find themselves aghast at how the groups might level the field against Bush & the Republicans strong institutional-backed fundraising advantage.
The Republicans will go this route for a while, trying to flog groups like Americans Coming Together, the Media Fund, and George Soros. Yet, they are also determining just how far the 527 groups can go with Americans for a Better Country seeking out FEC guidance. Once the FEC provides legal footing for the soft money to flow, the Republican's shadow will open up shop with their own 527's.
Sure, the 527 will be used as a means to register and turn-out voters; but overwhelmingly, we'll see it used for effective political "hit man" TV advertising, negative to the hilt, all summer long until September 2nd. On that day, the 527's will no longer be allowed on the airwaves, except for one big loophole-- the internet.