Decision 2012: Romney Rejects Super PAC Ad Attacking Obama

Mitt Romney criticized and tried to distance himself from a conservative billionaire's super PAC's proposal for an explosive $10 million ad campaign designed to renew attention on President Barack Obama's ties to his controversial former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright. A spokesman for stock-trading billionaire Joe Rickets said his super PAC would not go ahead with the proposal that also said Obama has misled the nation by presenting himself as a "metrosexual, black Abe Lincoln" and lamented that voters "still aren't ready to hate this president."

Class discussion: "Joe Ricketts is prepared to spend significant resources in the 2012 election in both the presidential race and Congressional races," said Brian Baker, head of the super PAC. Find news reports about the influence unlimited private spending is having on political campaigns. How is the spending likely to impact the presidential race? Can the ads sometimes hurt candidates they are trying to help? Courts have ruled that money is equivalent to speech. Does this give a few wealthy individuals inordinate influence over elections and the government?