Rove's Trove

Ya gotta hand it to Karl Rove: he knows it when he's on to a good thing.

The pugnacious purveyor of "win at all costs" campaigning has been in the news lately with his much talked-about American Crossroads group-- a "new kind of non-profit political organization," according to the group's website.

The "new kind" of political organization is what is commonly referred to as a 527-- a name derived from the section of the IRS Tax Code that allows for the existence of non-profit groups "not allied" with any particular political candidate. The really cool thing about 527's-- from Rove's current perspective-- is that they can basically receive unlimited contributions from political donors without having to identify ANY names or sources of their funds.

Kind of a political version of "don't ask, don't tell."

Rove's groups (AC is only one of the shells he has set up in the 527 world) are expecting to receive $250 million dollars to invest in political advertising for the November elections. All of that will be spent without one whit of oversight or accountability, thanks to the Supreme Court decision earlier this year that affirmed a fundamental right of corporations to contribute unlimited amounts of money to 527 groups.

(I'm still trying to figure how that decision is good for America, by the way.)

What interests me most about this development is just how far Mr. Rove has come in his attitude toward 527's and the money they can generate in order to influence government and politics.

He gave an interview to Chuck Raasch, with The Deseret News, after the 2004 election. (Remember the "Swift Boat Veterans" whose TV ads torpedoed John Kerry's campaign? You guessed it-- they were one of the original 527's.)

"I am a firm believer in strong (political) parties, and things that weaken the parties and place the outcome of elections in the hands of billionaires who can write checks and political consultants who can get themselves hired by billionaires who write the checks, give me some concern," Rove said.

My, my, my...I guess time really does heal. In this case, it has apparently healed Mr. Rove's aversion to receiving checks from billionaires.

Raasch went on to report that "Rove said the 527s... potentially undermine democracy." Rove later commented, in a  CNN interview, "Look, I'm against all the 527 ads and activities. I don't think they're fair. I don't think it's appropriate. They're misusing the law. They all ought to stop."

Now, to be fair...both sides benefit from the use of 527 money; many of the key Democrats in hot political races are getting big money from a variety of unnamed donors. It's just that nobody appears to be able to "out-Rove Rove" when it comes to amassing a trove of special interest money.

Avaritia nomen tuum in aeternum.