Panelists compared the amount of corporate and union spending in the 2012 elections with prior election cycles following the Supreme Court’s decision on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Among the topics they discussed was the possibility of Congress passing any campaign finance reform legislation, with all agreeing that the possibility was slim without a major scandal to prod them. They also talked about the importance of small donors, and the influence of super political action committees (super PACs).
Super PACs are independent political committees that support a candidate with unlimited, often anonymous, donations from companies, unions, or individuals.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission gave corporations and unions the ability to spend unlimited money to elect a candidate