WaPo - "How super PACs are saving Mitt Romney" - Welcome to Life After Citizens United

[TomCADem]

This election may be seen in future generations as a turning point when democracy essentially was undermined by the power of corporations and the wealthy to buy elections. So what if 10,000 people contribute $200 each to President Obama's campaign when Sheldon Adelson contributes $20 million to a pro-Romney Superpac in June 2012 alone. Unless we manage to erase Citizens United, this could very well mark the year that we begin to rapidly move toward a corporate facist government headed by Romney as he blatantly pushes for tax cuts and benefits to the very rich while cutting needed benefits to 99 percent of Americans.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/how-super-pacs-are-saving-mitt-romney/2012/07/23/gJQA1zKX5W_blog.html

Republican-aligned super PACs and other outside conservative groups have spent more than $144 million on general election ads in swing presidential states, a huge outlay of cash that has allowed former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney to not only combat but exceed heavy early ad spending by President Obama.

Roughly 80 percent of all ad spending by Republicans on the general election has come from these super PACs, as Romney has expended a relatively meager $35 million to date on ads in swing states, according to ad buy figures provided to the Fix by a GOP media buyer.

* * *

Republican outside groups have spent seven times as much as their Democratic counterparts on ads so far in the general election. In fact, the two-pronged American Crossroads (a super PAC) and Crossroads GPS (a 501c4) have spent in excess of $94 million on TV ads — approximately five times as much as Democratic super PACs have spent combined. And that $94 million is roughly two and a half times more than Romney himself has spent on ads in the general election to date.

* * *

What that raft of numbers make clear is that Republican super PACs and other outside groups have effectively kept Romney afloat as he recovered — financially and otherwise — from a costly Republican primary campaign.

[tanyev]

1. Saving him or keeping him on life support?

[progressivebydesign]

2. Sad that voters don't get this!! Romney is being propelled by a handful of billionaires...

this is explains why I see so little actual support for the guy out in the real world.

Can we impeach the Supreme Court?