Why PACs, Super PACs Dominate the Political Landscape
Senior Editor, CNBC
The Citizen's United ruling gutted most, if not all, of the bill's provisions. There is one legacy of the law still in place: The "stand by your ad" rule, which created the "I'm so and so and I stand by this message," heard at the end of ads to show accountability.
What is the future for PACs?
They're not going away and most likely, any attempts to legally curb them will face court challenges.
The simple reason for PACS and Super PACs — or what might replace them in the future — is that money helps. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the federal candidate who raised more money in 2008 won the race nine times in 10 tries.
What's left for 2012 and beyond is this: billions of dollars collected and billions to be spent, with no end in sight.
""President Obama's reversal on his pledge not to accept Super PAC money speaks to the significant role his campaign believes these organizations play in 2012," says Robert Alexander, associate professor of political science at Ohio Northern University. "Money has the effect of attracting more of it."
