Today The Hill runs an article about the confusion caused by the FEC’s recent advisory opinion on what one 527 organization, Americans for a Better Country, may do. The article is aptly titled 527s: Clear As Mud. I must admit that even as someone who follows campaign finance issues closely, I find the advisory opinion almost incomprehensible. Unless I am willing to devote many hours to studying the jargon-laden material (which I’m not, at least not right now), it remains very much an insider’s game.
Last week, Marty Lederman posted a very informative post on the election law list trying to bring some clarity to the issues. I have asked him if I could post a revised version of his comments on the blog for a wider audience. You can access those comments here. I urge you to read them.
It is a sad day when only a few lawyers in the country really have a handle on these very important issues.