I have fallen down a hole on the FEC website.

It is fucking astonishing what people are taking off Super PACs, and how many of them are interlinked, and how many names pop up over and over again.

We need election funding reform so badly. My God. And not just for Republicans.

Relatedly, a public service announcement: when you think you are donating to a candidate or a cause, make sure you check EVERY TIME whether the money is being split with a Super PAC and know who they are and what they do and who runs them.

Including on Act Blue.

I urge every one to donate directly through a candidate's website.

And if you are donating to a PAC you know is on the level (like, say, @BlackVotersMtr), if the donation link shows another entity spliting with them, know who that entity is & who owns it & where the money goes.

Every chance you get, do direct donations.

Don't go through a third party entity.

Because your money isn't going where you think it is all the time.

And it's also worth your while to know who folks are affiliated with, because with the Google, you can learn a lot in a very short time.

And what you learn may stun you.

I have scared my kid about five times this afternoon shouting OH MY GOD.

Like, would you give money to someone who had been sued by their former employer for stealing millions?

Would you donate money to someone who was in bed with folks who have gone to prison for astonishingly massive white collar crime?

Would you donate money to PACs that rake in millions and millions of dollars but only redirect a small fraction (or none) of that to candidates?

And would you donate to a PAC that redirects money to other PACs but keeps hefty operating fees for themselves and their friends?

Donate direct.

And know who you're dealing with if you're tempted to do otherwise.

I'm also just going to add that people need to learn how to search corporate database websites, because there are a lot of shell corps that are just fronts for a single person to route money off a PAC.

A lot.

And with a little digging, it's easy to figure out the score.

If you want an example of what this looks like in practice, here's an example:

Before he went to prison, Michael Avenatti set up a PAC that took money that folks thought was going to Beto O'Rourke for his own purposes.

Look for what's at the bottom before you donate.

"The Fight PAC" was a Super PAC Avenatti set up and the only place the money ever went was Avenatti, his personal travel expenses, and one political consulting firm. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/03/michael-avenattis-pac-gives-a-lot-of-money-to-michael-avenatti/

This is a game a lot of PACs are playing, and folks should know the score.

I'm gonna say one other thing here: there are a lot of folks on our side of the fence who are operating with confirmation bias.

"Oh, so-and-so would NEVER do that. They worked to take down Trump. They're affiliated with such-and-such celebrity."

OH YEAH? NOT SO MUCH.

Citizens' United has allowed a lot of folks to manipulate and layer money that ordinary people think is directed toward candidates.

Political consultants who are not on the up and up teach others how to game the system.

And this is another reason why you should donate direct.

Honestly, this has all made me really angry, but what else is new.

Grifters gonna grift.