The PAC System In Tennessee Is Populist

By Kleinheider Posted on November 2, 2009 at 2:30 pm

David Oatney explains why that is:

One of the reasons that Tennessee can still boast that someone from a very ordinary middle class background can run for office is that loopholes such as the ability to create personal political action committees that can donate more than $2,000 to a candidate still exist. Yes, it may seem like someone is simply using these “loopholes” in Tennessee’s campaign laws to get around the rules-but these so-called “loopholes” are a part of the rules.

Imagine a political landscape where the ability to create personal PACs didn’t exist. Without those committees and the monies they generate, only those who had a great deal of personal wealth could afford to run for the General Assembly because they would be the only ones with the ability to raise the amount of cash needed to run an effective campaign. The present structure, while imperfect, still allows for someone who would be a good candidate to try and obtain the resources they need through political action committees, perhaps even their own.

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