Is there a more factually sparse or logically bankrupt argument than the one Republicans continue to make in defense of their lifting of voter-approved campaign contribution limits?  As Mike Gibbons demonstrates for the Webster-Kirkwood Times [1], there probably isn't:

State Sen. Michael Gibbons, R-Kirkwood, who is campaigning to replace Nixon as the state attorney general, said he expects outgoing Gov. Matt Blunt to sign the campaign finance legislation as a means to increase transparency as well as accountability in elections.

"What motivated those of us who supported the bill was a desire to end all the money that goes through the parties, their organizations and the political action committees," said Gibbons. "Right now, unless you are a forensic scientist, you don't know where all the money is coming from in our elections.

Gibbons cites the desire to stanch the flow of "anonymous" campaign money through party committees as the big reason underlying his party's removal of contribution limits.  He makes that case in spite of the fact that the law he passed does nothing to shut down the operation [2] of the party committees as a conduit for the non-transparent flow of political dollars.

But not all Republicans backed the bill. Rep. Brian Yates, R-Lee's Summit, said the bill fell short because it didn't bar donors from funneling money through political party committees.

"If they want to hide money they can still do it under this legislation," Yates said. "I'm disappointed that this legislation does not include removing the shell game that exists today."

Gibbons want us to believe that the lifting of limits will magically make the world of political funding completely transparent.  But as even other GOP legislators have noted (kudos to Rep. Yates for his honesty), the law passed will allow those funders who want to avoid "transparency" to continue running money through party committees to hide its source. 

Notwithstanding all the happy talk from Gibbons, the new finance rules actually give us the worst of all worlds: it allows politicians to be bought with unlimited direct contributions and still provides a mechanism by which funders can avoid disclosure if they prefer.