[EL] Check out N.Y. Lawmakers Charged in Plot to Buy Spot on Mayoral B...

Wed Apr 3 13:55:55 PDT 2013

Kevin, if one buys into the whole contribution limit thing, but only wants  
to do  what the Court in Buckley approved doing, then  one would  set the 
contribution limit somewhat below the "deal point."  So, it  the going rate 
for political favors among those that are susceptible to  corruption is 100K, 
as the Jefferson/Cunningham examples suggest, then you would  set the 
contribution limit significantly below that, say 75K.  But what is  obvious, and 
really my only modest point, is that $2,600 is just way too  low given the 
anecdotal evidence.  Jim Bopp

In a message dated 4/3/2013 12:24:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
Kevin.Greenberg at flastergreenberg.com writes:

Jim, 
I’m  really confused.  In your ideal world, would you set the law that you  
could “legally” “buy” an elected official by making the max level  
donation?   
You  keep pointing to Jefferson/Cunningham as evidence for a “deal point” 
around  $100,000.  Presuming that it is true, for at least certain officials 
who  might be predisposed to corruption, what does that tell us?    
As  the idea is to avoid corruption, we would need a donation level 
materially  below the “deal point”.   
A  second corollary to your analysis would be a presumption that – again, 
for the  subset of folks who have a $100K deal point and are amenable to 
corruption –  is that they are already bought by the unlimited Citizen 
United-empowered  spenders.  Is that your position? 
Kevin 

Kevin  Greenberg 
(215)  279-9912 

From:  law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu  
[mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of  JBoppjr at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2013 11:56  AM
To: lminnite at gmail.com;  law-election at department-lists.uci.edu
Subject: Re: [EL] Check out  N.Y. Lawmakers Charged in Plot to Buy Spot on 
Mayoral  Ball...

Yes,  I do understand what this case is about and my point remains that 
bribes in  cases like this are helpful in determining what is the going rate, 
at least  among some people, for money exchanged for political favors.  There 
 are obviously differences that need to be understood in applying this  
analogy.  For instance, if campaign contributions cannot be used  personally, 
then I would think that a candidate would insist on a larger  campaign 
contribution than a personal one, like here. Another difference  is that a 
candidate is the bribor and political party officials are the  bribees.  This may 
or may not effect the going rate.  

But  the general point remains, looking at what it took here to bribe 
political  party officials to provide a political favor, and at what it took to 
bribe  Congressmen Jefferson ($99,000 in cold hard cash) and Cunningham 
(minimum  $140,000), it is apparent that contribution limits are way below a 
large  contribution that could tempt a candidate to sell his vote.  Jim  Bopp

In a  message dated 4/3/2013 10:58:56 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 
lminnite at gmail.com  writes:

Mr. Bopp is  completely confused about what this case is about.  It has 
nothing to  do with campaign contribution limits for mayoral candidates.  If 
New  York City had no limits at all for mayoral candidates, if New York City  
voters or corporations could give millions of dollars to Malcolm Smith or to 
 the Republican Party, it would not have mattered here.  What's at issue  
are Republican Party ballot access rules and influence-peddling (more  
plainly put - bribery) to acquire the support of county leaders for yet  another 
registered Democrat to run as their mayoral candidate.

On  4/3/2013 10:04 AM, _JBoppjr at aol.com_ (mailto:JBoppjr at aol.com)   wrote:

You  have hit on the other interesting point about this.  NYC contribution  
limits for Mayor are $4,950 and less for other offices. Each of the bribees 
 demanded much more.  This seems to be further anecdotal evidence that  
current contribution limits are too low. (See also Congressmen Jefferson and  
Cunningham)  Jim Bopp

In a message dated  4/3/2013 9:58:22 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 
_margaret.groarke at manhattan.edu_ (mailto:margaret.groarke at manhattan.edu)   writes:

Au  contraire, we New Yorkers just want to make sure that bribing public  
officials is affordable! The desire to get one's way shouldn't bankrupt a  
person.   

More  seriously, the limits we have in NYS are really generous (I would be  
permitted to donate $41,000 to a gubernatorial candidate in the general  
election). And these allegations are about donations to parties, about  which 
I don't have the rules handy. But a LOT of things need to change in  NY. 

On  Wed, Apr 3, 2013 at 9:01 AM, <_JBoppjr at aol.com_ 
(mailto:JBoppjr at aol.com) >  wrote: 

_Click here: N.Y. Lawmakers Charged in Plot to Buy Spot on  Mayoral Ballot 
- NYTimes.com_ 
(http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/nyregion/state-senator-and-city-councilman-accused-of-trying-to-rig-mayors-race.html?hp&_r=0)  

Thank  goodness NYC has contribution limits.  It has sure fixed the  
corruption problem there.  Jim Bopp

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