Well there are big differences between PACs, as I'm sure you know. For instance between a Tom DeLay PAC or an environmental PAC. When most people talk about "special interests, they usually mean those that selfishly grab money and power in order to enrich a very small, already wealthy segment of the population or biz community. Common good? Never heard of it. That's the kind of PACs that predominantly give to Republicans locally and nationally. Plus all those people made even richer by Bush's huge tax cuts made during "wartime."
barb | Homepage | 07.20.06 - 3:26 pm | #

Good Try Barb, PAC's are PAC's. They use money to influence policy. Whether they are for the common good is where you stand. A lot of farmers think the enviromemnt PAC's are evil. Likewise, you probably think that Tom Delay's PAC is evil. As long as PAC's are allowed, they are legal and part of the system. Don't like it, try and change the system.
Frank Garcia | 07.20.06 - 5:48 pm | #

What's Madrid blabbing about oil companies when she takes money from them according to Mario's link to PAC money?

Check out Open Secrets.org. They get even more detailed on Madrid's money. The abortion industry is showering her with bucks.
Chris | Homepage | 07.20.06 - 10:14 pm | #

Well Tom DeLay's PAC isn't really a PAC. It's a money laundering outfit for people like Jack Abramoff and his cronies, some of whom worked for DeLay. I'm sure you've heard of it.

Besides, if you look here:

http://www.opensecrets.org/races...le=2006& id=NM01

you'll see that Heather gets 36% of her bucks from PACS and 58 percent from individuals, while Madrid gets only 22 percent from PACS and 78% from individuals.

Also, there is no such thing as an "abortion industry." However, there's a massive industry using that issue in the most immoral and distorted way possible to raise money for rightwing Republicans. Why not check out Ralph Reed's connections to Abramoff and the huge dollars he took. Some Christian.
barb | Homepage | 07.21.06 - 1:35 pm | #

I agree that PAC's distort the political process, but they are legal and both the right and the left use them. How can one PAC be good and another PAC be bad?It is all determined by an individual view.

I think that Tom Delay's PAC did wonderful work. They focused on keeping the Congress Republican and used there money to that end.

That last thing is country needs is Nancy Pelosi as the speaker of the house
Charlie Keene | 07.21.06 - 3:09 pm | #

Charlie: have you failed to follow the Abramoff story and how it connects to DeLay? There's a difference between a legal PAC and one that's laundering bribes. It't not an opinion, it's the legal situation.
barb | Homepage | 07.23.06 - 11:54 am | #