Scott Brown, Elizabeth Warren make super PAC pact

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Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts and his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren have entered into a super PAC pact.

The two candidates have agreed to discourage outside groups like super PACs from airing ads in their high-profile race. The agreement came after Brown called on Warren to denounce the millions in outside advertising flooding Massachusetts media on her behalf. For instance, the League of Conservation Voters spent nearly $2 million attacking Brown's record. On the other side, the group Crossroads GPS attacked Warren in a seven-figure ad campaign targeting four Democratic Senate candidates.

In a statement today, Brown called his agreement with Warren to discourage such ads "a great victory for the people of Massachusetts, and a bold statement that puts Super PACs and other third parties on notice that their interference in this race will not be tolerated."

Political candidates are already barred from coordinating with super PACs that run ads on their behalf. Nevertheless, the pledge commits Brown and Warren to paying a price if groups run negative ads on their behalf. The pledge says that if an outside group does run an ad attacking either Brown or Warren, the other candidate must pay 50 percent of the ads' cost to a charity of the targeted candidates' choice.

Even without the help of third parties, Brown and Warren have plenty of cash to spend on their campaigns. After an impressive fundraising year in 2011, Warren's campaign holds just over $6 million in cash on hand, the Boston Globe reports, while the incumbent Brown has $12.8 million in his campaign account.

[myth1958]

What irony that conservative Brown - feeling the heat of a serious, serious challenger - now wants to disavow the political monster his own Republican party brought to life. If he wasn't facing Warren, I wonder, would he be so adamant? Or would he be another Gingrich or Romney: begging to have outside interests sandbag his opponent? We must fix the 'Super Pak' issue with a Constitutional Amendment which once and for all settles this 'corporations are persons' issue. The GOP is so sanctimonious about their respect for human life, yet they regard companies 'persons' as if huge multinational interests came from sperm and egg. Here is a brave chance for Republicans to prove they aren't hypocrites: offer an Amendment that declares only human beings - not buildings with names on them - are 'persons', and that corporations, small businesses and non-profits should be subject to all the rules and regulations we expect money-making operations to be held to. Re-define business and non-profits as non-persons (negating law which has been on the books since @ 1804), and we will be getting somewhere. The average flesh-and-blood person can't spend untold millions to elect Romney, Gingrich, Santorum or Obama. Neither should IBM, Goldman-Sachs or Burger King. They ought to have the same donation limits we put on individuals - somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,500. Otherwise this monster will consume Democrats, Republicans and Independents for breakfast and leave nothing of the democracy we admire for future generations.

[rg532]

But they can't actually stop the Super Pacs. Candidates can't co-ordinate with them.
Haven't they been watching Stephen Colbert's ongoing civics lesson?

[kirbang]

I don't remember Soros being associated with a pac or super pac. Can anyone verify?

[tsigili]

Since when can you trust any Democrat?

They are known as the party of dirty tricks.

[John782011]

Someone like Soros or the Koch brothers will just put the requisite dollars into the campaign to deplete the opposing candidates treasury :) This is actually one of the more interesting races in 2012 by two good people.

[ProgressNow]

She going to make a great Senator!!!!!!

OBAMA 2012!!!!!