Ed Gillespie: Power of super PACs is no surprise

Florida's primary results showed once again that the story of 2012 is the power of super PACs. The super PAC supporting Mitt Romney, Restore Our Future, spent $16 million in January 2011 alone -- outspending other candidate PACs by millions.

Bob Schieffer interviewed Ed Gillespie, former Republican National Committee Chairman and co-founder of a different Republican super PAC making news, American Crossroads. Gillespie started American Crossroads with Karl Rove after both of them had served decades on Capitol Hill and in the White House.

Gillespie told Schieffer that PACs are obviously having an impact on this presidential primary, and he isn't surprised. He said, "I warned of this, I said, you know, if this bill [McCain-Feingold] is enacted, you're going to see these outside groups are going to have greater influence in the process, the national parties are going to have less influence in the process."

Gillespie would "prefer" a system where national parties could still accept non-federal dollars, because he thinks now the national parties are too limited to federal campaigns.

He doesn't anticipate getting what he wants though, saying campaign finance reform bills "generally don't work how people theorize they" will.

So in the meantime, American Crossroads will do what it can to support the party at all levels.

Just today the group released a Solyndra-themed TV ad targeting President Barack Obama. The ad will air on national cable for one week in a $500,000 ad buy.