# Is monetary political contributions the same as speech?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-monetary-political-contributions-the-same-as-speech/751460>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [April 7, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-monetary-political-contributions-the-same-as-speech/751460 "2016-04-07T17:30:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 9

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-monetary-political-contributions-the-same-as-speech/751460/161 "2016-04-18T20:59:28Z")

</div>

> [@octopus](#):
>
> Do you donate money to a political party? Do you contribute valuable time? How do you reconcile those actions with your apparent dislike of “bribery?”

This is where you typically get something like “It’s okay because my side is the right side and cares about other people not just their own self-interest” or “I only give a little bit so it’s okay.” We’ll see.

> [@octopus](#):
>
> Every donor to the Democratic Party is by Yog’s definition a criminal.

Uh-oh.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-monetary-political-contributions-the-same-as-speech/751460/162 "2016-04-19T16:32:10Z")

</div>

> [@lance\_strongarm](#):
>
> So if one spends money on speech, or donates it to someone who will spend money on speech, and there is NO promise of future behavior, it’s okay with you?

That’s that question, where do you draw the line. Its pretty silly to assume that people are donating money to a candidate without any expectation at all, they might as well be throwing their money at random people then. But people donate because they want to support someone who believes as they do and will do as they wish. I’m asking where that line is, when you can give money and have it counted as speech, and give money and result in action. Where do you think the line is?

> [@lance\_strongarm](#):
>
> No it’s not. But even if we accepted that, it’s absolutely WRONG to say that anyone has ever said contributions to a candidate are speech. That’s completely false. Only spending money on speech, or contributions to a non-candidate group that spends it on speech, has been defended as part of speech rights.

What’s the difference?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-monetary-political-contributions-the-same-as-speech/751460/163 "2016-04-20T00:18:10Z")

</div>

> [@YogSothoth](#):
>
> That’s that question, where do you draw the line. Its pretty silly to assume that people are donating money to a candidate without any expectation at all, they might as well be throwing their money at random people then. But people donate because they want to support someone who believes as they do and will do as they wish. I’m asking where that line is, when you can give money and have it counted as speech, and give money and result in action. Where do you think the line is?

You draw the line at candidates promising specific things to specific donors they haven’t promised to the electorate at large anyway.

> [@](#):
>
> What’s the difference?

Spending on your speech begets speech for you. Donations to candidates do not. But yeah, if you want to argue that there’s no difference because the candidates use it to speak, that’s fine - it’s all speech and we should abolish donation limits too.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-monetary-political-contributions-the-same-as-speech/751460.md?page=8)