The IRS Scandal and the Future of Campaign Finance Reform

With the IRS scandal now seemingly growing by the hour, Steven Hayward takes a moment to reflect on where this may all be heading:

I’ve always said that the way to get rid of corruption in high places is to get rid of high places, and surely that’s the right answer here: let’s get rid of the byzantine campaign finance rules that stifle political expression or limit it to the insiders like Rove and Axelrod. But the opposite is likely to happen. The so-called “reform community” (Fred Wertheimer, chief nanny), which is very well organized and has media sympathy, is going to argue that the IRS scandal shows that we need more regulation of political speech, or at the very least, disclosure of donors, so that more people can receive the Koch brothers treatment by the left. (Of course, the so-called “reformers” always want to change the subject when you bring up the exemption from campaign contribution disclosure that the Socialist Workers Party still enjoys; most reporters don’t even know it exists.)

And we need to be afraid of this development:

Want to hear some really bad news? John McCain is on the case. Which means we’re doomed: 

A Senate investigative panel led by Democrat Carl Levin of Michigan and Republican John McCain of Arizona has been reviewing the use of social welfare groups for political causes for the past year and now is examining the agency’s handling of the tax-exempt reviews.

Remember when McCain-Feingold campaign finance "reform" was passed back in 2002?  (And also remember when President thought it was unconstitutional but signed it into law anyway because for Bush, resolving issues of constitutionality is something only the courts can decide?)

Well, we may have not heard the last from McCain on that front.

And also, remember immigration reform?  I wonder what has been going on with that with all of the scandals taking the front pages (if you are the New York Times coverage begins on A16)...