Bernie, It's Time to Denounce Those SuperPacs!

Bernie Sanders, It's Time to Denounce Those SuperPacs!

Bernie Sanders' campaign for the Democratic nomination as President has been helped by seven million dollars in Republican/right-wing leaning SuperPAC money during this primary season.  That's just what has been reported by those SuperPACs to date; that is, through April 8th.  That seven million dollars has been spent by the likes of the well-known Citizen's United, and some lesser known cartels with names such as the "Freedom Defense Fund" and "Future45".

You can see the name of the PAC on the left, the candidate the PAC supports or opposes in the second column, and the word "Oppose" or "Support" in the third column.  There are 91 pages of expenditures AGAINST Hillary Clinton for this campaign, which is still in the primary season.  The is less than one page against Bernie Sanders.

From the FEC:  A shot of a few lines of  SuperPac money opposing Hillary Clinton

Now, these SuperPACs aren't giving money directly to Bernie Sanders (such as the money he gets through the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee).  Instead, they are helping Bernie by spending money that's being reported to the FEC (the Federal Election Commission) as "opposing Hillary Clinton".

Who benefits from the money spent opposing Hillary Clinton?

Right now it's the primary season.  Who is benefitting from those 7 million bucks reported to date as being used to "oppose" Hillary Clinton?  Well, we know it is not Republican Presidential candidates like Ted Cruz or even Donald Trump.  Not now.  Not during the primaries.  Those men aren't running against Hillary during these primaries and caucuses.  (To be fair, there are a couple of groups that are "opposing" Bernie Sanders.  But they've only spent about $600,000 against him.)

If Sanders is really so concerned about "big money", he needs to take on these GOP PACs and tell them to stop spending money opposing Hillary during the primaries.. money that he benefits from. As long as he isn't doing this, he is a hypocrite.

Bernie and many of his supporters insist that one of the big things they don't like about Hillary Clinton is that SuperPACs raise money for her.  Yet, at the same time, those same people aren't screaming to the heavens about the vast sums of money being spent AGAINST Hillary Clinton during the primaries; SuperPAC money that directly benefits Bernie Sanders!

No, he can't stop them, but....

I know; Bernie and his supporters will say, well, those are SuperPACs; they are Republican SuperPACs; we can't do anything about them. But Bernie can denounce them in very strong terms.

He can denounce the fact that Citizens' United is helping him at the expense of Clinton. There is nothing holding him back from making it clear that he opposes those expenditures against Hillary during the primary campaign.  He can make it clear that he realizes that he benefits from them, and he doesn't want to rely on millions of dollars from Republican-slanted SuperPACs to help him win Democratic primaries.

He can't make them stop spending that money, but I'll repeat:  He CAN denounce them.  (He can also make the point that Clinton may need more funds than he does because she has these Republicans spending 7 million against her during the Democratic primaries.) 

But, no, he won't do that. No, his supporters, who complain about campaign finance, will continue to say NOTHING about the huge sums being spent AGAINST Hillary in the primary. As long as Bernie Sanders doesn't raise the money himself, apparently, it is just quite fine with all of the "get money out of politics" people that Republican SuperPACs toss those bundles against her and not against Bernie.

Stop with the hypocrisy!

Come on, Bernie, and your supporters.. Make it clear that you, Bernie, are benefitting from Republican SuperPAC money. Denounce those SuperPACs that are helping you at Hillary's expense.  I dare you, Senator Sanders!  I dare you, Bernie's supporters!