Jim Rosica
Sometimes even a “Free Americans” PAC can’t help but get caught in old-fashioned American bureaucracy.
As first reported by POLITICO last month, the political action committee named “Free Americans Against Nagging Imbeciles,” or “FAANI PAC,” was “created by a group of students at Florida State University while taking courses on campaign finance laws.”
“The ‘imbeciles’ we are referring to are those candidates (who) enjoy being insulting, polarizing and otherwise unbearable without offering any counterpoints to current laws and regulations,” committee treasurer Christopher Taylor told that website.
“Those candidates that seek to gain votes by lying to their constituents and publicly shaming others will be the enemy of this committee,” he added.
The groups now known as “super PACs” came about in the wake of Supreme Court decisions on campaign finance, most notably the Citizens United ruling in 2010. They can raise unlimited sums of money but cannot give money directly to or coordinate with individual candidates or political parties.
Comedian Stephen Colbert satirized super PACs with his “Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow” before the 2012 election. His former program on Comedy Central, The Colbert Report, won a Peabody Award for segments poking fun at such groups.
Federal Election Commission records show Taylor filed his “statement of organization” for the committee, which was received Aug. 10.
By Aug. 20, however, the FEC was writing back to Taylor, saying his “failure to adequately respond by the response date noted above (Sept. 24) could result in an audit or enforcement action.”
The problem: Taylor simply forgot to “designate a campaign depository,” the FEC’s letter said. That could be a checking account at a bank.
But the commission takes clerical errors to heart, judging by their response.
“Please note, you will not receive an additional notice on this matter,” the FEC letter went on, adding that his “failure to comply … may also result in an enforcement action” and the deadline wouldn’t be extended.
Yipes.
Taylor did not immediately respond to an email sent Tuesday. We’ll update when we hear back.
