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	Campaign finance in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		"Soft money" is money that is not made directly to a candidate's campaign, but is spent on an activity, especially "issue advertising", which are advertisements for a candidate's positions or thinly veiled attacks on the opponent's positions, that obviously benefit the candidate.
		Before the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, soft money was mainly contributions made to political parties, under a 1979 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act which allowed party committees to accept and spend unlimited amounts of money during election campaigns.
		They also cannot use soft money to pay for "electioneering communications"-those referring to candidates for federal election without expressly advocating their election or defeat -- in the 60 days prior to a general election, or 30 days prior to a primary election.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Soft_money (1232 words)

	Soft Money (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		Soft money means all political money which is not limited by the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA).
		Officeholders/Candidates may still raise money without limit for non-profits so long as the solicitation is not specifically for federal election activity (including for the general funds of an organization that is not primarily political).
		Efforts by national and state parties must be funded with mix of hard and soft money per FEC regulations.
	www.cfinst.org /eguide/softmoney.html (1147 words)

	Free Essays - Soft Money
		Soft money, by definition, are the ‘non federal’ funds which are raised, and spent, outside of Federal Election Campaign Act’s borders.
		Critics argue that the soft money system allows committees to save the federal funds that can be spent on federal elections, and that the system only furthers the influence of wealthy contributors on elections.
		Common Cause charges that “soft money contributions are laundered through the political parties in a way that allows federally illegal money to nonetheless be used to influence federal elections.” While corporations make large [soft money] donations to political parties, they are also lobbying for various legislation issues before Congress.
	www.freeessays.tv /d265.htm (632 words)

	Washingtonpost.com: Campaign Finance Special Report
		This spending is called "soft money." Unlike "hard money," with its firm limits on contributions, soft money is largely unregulated.
		But the boom in soft money was mostly a function of the vastly increased imagination with which the parties spent it.
		Much of the soft money raised by the national committees in 1996 – about $120 million – was spent on "issue ads," theoretically supporting party positions, rather than specific candidates.
	www.washingtonpost.com /wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/intro4.htm (590 words)

	Soft money -- Facts, Info, and Encyclopedia article (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		Soft money refers to money used to advance a particular political campaign in such a manner as to skirt the legal limits on how much money individuals or organizations are allowed to contribute to political campaigns (termed (Click link for more info and facts about hard money) hard money).
		With some exceptions, soft money contributions to political parties were generally made illegal in the United States in 2002 with passage of the (Click link for more info and facts about Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.
		Many of the soft money-funded activities previously undertaken by (Click link for more info and facts about political parties) political parties have been taken over by various (Click link for more info and facts about 527 group) 527 groups.
	www.absoluteastronomy.com /encyclopedia/s/so/soft_money.htm (272 words)

	Reason magazine -- August/September 2000, Free Money by James V. DeLong (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		He proposes a ban on "soft money" contributions to parties by unions and corporations, along with stronger protections for union members who don't want their dues used for political purposes with which they disagree.
		He would eliminate all "soft money" but allow everyone, including unions and corporations, to contribute to a nonpartisan fund that would be used to pay for the campaigns of congressional candidates who agree to spending limits.
		In particular, they decry "soft money" contributions to political parties, which are not subject to statutory limits, and spending by groups that care deeply about particular issues and want to communicate their concerns to candidates and the public.
	reason.com /0008/fe.jd.free.shtml (4706 words)

	Encyclopedia: Soft money (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		The term soft dollars is used in relationship to certain payments made by investment funds to their service providers.
		With some exceptions, soft money contributions to political parties were generally made illegal in the United States in 2002 with passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.
		Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in politics, primarily in political campaigns.
	www.nationmaster.com /encyclopedia/Soft-money (532 words)

	Questions and Answers about S. 1219 and H.R. 2566 (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		Soft money is a loophole that has developed in recent years to provide candidates, contributors and political parties a means to evade federal contribution limits.
		This means the soft money contributions are laundered through the political parties in a way that allows federally illegal money to nonetheless be used to influence federal elections.
		Soft money has thus become not only big business for the political parties, but a primary means special interest can now use to buy access and influence.
	www.ccsi.com /~comcause/news/s1219sm.html (509 words)

	Campaign Finance: Russell D. Feingold: Representative Democracy versus Corporate Democracy: How Soft Money Erodes the ...
		Soft money contributions, which can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars from one donor alone, are the main engine behind this transformation.
		Soft money is a popular umbrella term describing contributions to political parties from sources that are otherwise prohibited from making contributions in connection with federal elections, such as corporations and labor unions, or by wealthy individuals in amounts greater than the limits allowed by federal law.
		Soft money was not created by federal law but by the evolution of party fund-raising strategies in response to Federal Election Commission advisory opinions.
	www.campaignfinancesite.org /proposals/book-feingold.html (3783 words)

	The Campaign Legal Center: Washington Post: New Ways To Harness Soft Money In Works (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		Soft money has been used to finance mass get-out-the-vote programs and ads that have been cloaked as issue discussions but are actually aimed at helping or hurting particular candidates.
		The officials describe their initiatives as a way to make sure soft money is used on behalf of the broad interests of the two parties, not just the interests of ideological groups on the left and the right.
		To preserve their ability to raise soft money, both the Democratic and Republican governors' associations are severing all ties with the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee, respectively.
	www.campaignlegalcenter.org /press-519.html (1502 words)

	soft money (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		The Soft Money Laundromat is a searchable database of special interest soft money contributions to the Democratic and...
		Soft money refers to money used to advance a particular political campaign in such a...
		Soft money is one of the most difficult issues the Commission has addressed during the...
	www.financial-supersite.com /articles/143/soft-money.html (524 words)

	Guardian \| Soft money, hard sell
		The laws governing how much money a candidate's official campaign can use in self- promotion date back to 1907 and have undergone multiple revisions, the most significant in 1978, which established the difference between "hard" and "soft" money.
		Soft money can be raised in unlimited amounts by bodies independent of the campaign, but can only be used for what is known as "party building" - messages that educate the voter on issues while stopping short of saying which candidate to vote for.
		The ad is produced by the independent expenditure arm of the Democratic National Committee one of a phalanx of soft money organisations, which have stepped into the breach of John Kerry's funding gap.
	www.guardian.co.uk /print/0,3858,4987489-111675,00.html (802 words)

	"One Cheer For Soft Money" by Steven Schier
		Soft money refers to unlimited contributions directly from corporations, unions, and individuals to party committees.
		Though wealthy individuals, corporations, and unions are thus sharply limited in their hard money contributions, the sky is the contribution limit with soft money.
		Originally, soft money was to be spent on grassroots campaigning by state and local parties for brochures, door knocking, and get-out-the-vote efforts.
	www.washingtonmonthly.com /features/2000/0007.schier.html (2894 words)

	ARA Soft Money Survey
		Soft money astronomers are a necessary and integral part of our profession both scientifically and technically.
		There is a general consensus among soft money astronomers that they are often perceived of as being of lesser quality and importance than their faculty counterparts.
		Soft money astronomers are an integral part of our profession and therefore must be involved in important policy decision making by which they are often affected.
	www.astronomy.villanova.edu /faculty/ara/ara_art.htm (2450 words)

	Howstuffworks "What is the difference between "soft money" and "hard money" campaign donations?"
		"Soft money" is money donated to political parties in a way that leaves the contribution unregulated.
		The largest expense in a modern political campaign is advertising, and most of the controversy about hard or soft money ultimately points to how much advertising a candidate can buy.
		The contributions to these funds are regulated by law: Corporations and labor unions can't contribute to campaigns for federal elections, and individuals are limited to contributing a maximum of $1,000 to a federal candidate, and $20,000 a year to a political party for the purpose of telling people whom to vote for.
	money.howstuffworks.com /question498.htm (391 words)

	TOP SOFT MONEY DONORS TO RNC (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		RNC soft money fundraising in April doubled compared to March, and was four times higher than in April 1992, the last Presidential election year, the study found.
		Soft money means contribuitons which are outside the limits and prohibitions of federal law, including large individual or PAC contributions and direct corporate or union contributions.
		National political party committees were required to disclose their soft money contributions beginning in 1991, after Common Cause filed a petition with the FEC, challenging the way in which the FEC was treating soft money.
	www.ccsi.com /~comcause/news/rncdonor.html (833 words)

	Democrats Have Fresh Doubts on 'Soft Money' Ban
		Soft money has become increasingly important to the Democrats in recent elections, accounting for almost half the funds raised by the three major Democratic campaign committees.
		Under federal law, soft money is not supposed to be used directly on a federal election but rather for general party-building activities.
		During the 1996 presidential campaign, the two major parties used soft money to finance millions of dollars in "issue advertising" that named candidates and was for the most part indistinguishable from ordinary campaign commercials.
	www.commondreams.org /headlines01/0305-01.htm (1315 words)

	Soft money - SourceWatch
		Soft money has been used to finance mass 'get-out-the-vote (GOTV)' programs and ads that have been cloaked as issue discussions but are actually aimed at helping or hurting particular candidates.
		The Soft Money Laundromat (http://www.commoncause.org/laundromat/) is a searchable database of special interest soft money contributions to the Democratic and Republican national party committees.
		The Shadow of Soft Money (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/16/opinion/16FRI3.html?th), New York Times Op-Ed, January 16, 2004: "he Federal Election Commission is now facing the first big test of its gumption since the Supreme Court ruled decisively last month in favor of the new campaign finance law's prohibitions on the use of unregulated soft money in federal election campaigns.
	www.sourcewatch.org /index.php?title=Soft_money (2455 words)

	Background on "Soft Money" (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		In the eyes of many observers – and many political practitioners who make use of it – the principal loophole in the federal campaign spending law is something that has come to be called "soft money." In the broadest sense, soft money encompasses any contributions not regulated by federal election laws.
		The exemption was made to encourage "party-building" activities which benefit the political parties in general, but not specific candidates.
		Technically, soft money contributions are supposed to be used only for state and local political activities – such as voter registration, get-out-the-vote drives, and bumper stickers – and for such generic party-building activities as TV ads supporting the Democratic and Republican platforms, but not naming specific candidates.
	www.opensecrets.org /pubs/glossary/softmoney.htm (204 words)

	The Campaign Legal Center: Los Angeles Times Editorial: Close the Soft Money Tap (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
		Soft money was a term invented to define a loophole in previous reforms that allowed unlimited contributions to political parties and "independent" political committees.
		But it left open, and will have to address, the much wider use of soft money for ads that purport to be only about issues such as healthcare reform and for partisan voter mobilization.
		It's mainly the Democratic Party, which is less successful than the GOP at raising hard money, that's been using the new groups to evade restrictions on unregulated contributions.
	www.campaignlegalcenter.org /press-1045.html (478 words)

	Worldandnation: Transfer makes soft money hard; Florida GOP benefits
		Soft money, by definition, is contributed to the parties by individuals, companies or labor unions in chunks far exceeding the $2,000 donation limit on hard money.
		Hard money, on the other hand, can be donated only by individuals or political action committees in sums limited to $2,000 or less.
		Because hard money can be used to pay for any campaign expense in a federal election, it is also considered more valuable by the political parties.
	www.sptimes.com /2002/11/05/Worldandnation/Transfer_makes_soft_m.shtml (518 words)

	Public Citizen \| Soft Money - Soft Money
		In the 2000 election cycle, national and congressional party committees broke all previous records in soft money fundraising and, for the first time, Democratic party committees were on par with Republican party committees in terms of raising and spending soft money.
		This was a banner year for soft money, which totaled five times the amounts raised and spent in 1992.
		By far, the single greatest share of soft money dollars spent by the parties relative to federal elections went into electioneering "issue" advertising for or against candidates.
	www.citizen.org /congress/campaign/issues/soft_money (452 words)

	soft money
		The notice of proposed rulemaking invites comment on options for regulating soft money, including whether or not new rules are necessary, whether the Commission has the authority to promulgate rules in this area, and whether the proposed rules contained in the notice are within the scope of that authority.
		National parties would continue to be prohibited from receiving and using soft money in connection with federal elections, but soft money for non-federal election related purposes would be permitted.
		Modify the core proposal to ensure that hard money transferred from a national to a state or local party committee is spent using the rules applicable to the national party committees, rather than the state or local party committee’s more favorable allocation ratios (a mix of hard and soft money).
	www.fec.gov /press/softmone.htm (678 words)

	Political Reform and Soft Money
		We've heard about 'soft money' for years, but its impact is rarely discussed.
		Despite the outrageous amounts of money being spent on election campaigns, the biggest problems with large donations is that they attack the principle of all votes being equal.
		However, the soft money goes into a general party fund and can be raised through such things as dinners with politicians.
	www.political-reform.net /soft_money.htm (605 words)

	Court upholds 'soft money' ban \| csmonitor.com
		Money collected under those limitations is referred to as hard money.
		Money raised outside the regulated process for campaign finance is called soft money.
		As part of its ruling upholding the soft-money ban, the high court also upheld requirements that state political committees be barred from using soft money to finance activities related to elections with federal candidates on the ballot.
	www.csmonitor.com /2003/1211/p01s01-usju.html (1005 words)

	Soft Money Ban
		However, corporations, unions and wealthy individuals were, until the passage of BCRA, permitted to make large, unregulated contributions to political parties, known as "soft money." Soft money was not subject to the contribution limits in federal law.
		The elimination of soft money means that political parties and candidates may now only raise money under the limits of the law, and the practice of raising funds without limitations will end.
		This includes PACs, state and local party committees, etc. Large, unregulated "soft money" contributions may no longer be routed through state political parties to help pay for federal campaigns.
	www.ncsl.org /programs/legman/elect/softmoneyban.htm (492 words)

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