This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Wednesday, October 6, 2010. I'm Caleb Brown. Lots of money is going

into this election cycle that's thanks in part to Citizens United, which cut through a lot of restrictions on political speech, but it's not clear

that challengers once they themselves become incumbents won't try to help undo

much of the freewheeling speech that might serve to help them dislodge incumbents.

John Samples, director of the Cato Institute Center for Representative Government, comments.

Funds are flowing into elections to influence elections by less than savory groups.

You support this.

I do indeed, yes.

A more accurate and fair way of describing it is that there is some groups are

raising money and spending it on various kinds of candidates in recent elections a lot of that was done by people associated with

Democrats. This particular year it's going to be people associated with Republicans. Part of that has to do, we have to remember this money just doesn't show up in a group.

It has to be raised and there's a lot of evidence out there now that the Democratic donors in the past, Mr Soros being the most famous one,

are no longer that interested this year in electoral efforts.

They're focusing on public policy efforts and

other kinds of groups. So the money that previously went to these groups and

passed from Democratic donors is now going to other things and I

think there's a enthusiasm problem there.

The donors are not all that happy with how things have gone with the Obama administration.

So we've had a change really, and it's a change from one party to the other, but we would be unwise I think to conclude oh this is a

permanent change caused by Citizens United and it's all going to go to the

Republicans in the future it It'll depend on the circumstances

and who's wound up. When people were running against and running ads against the Bush

...