Do campaign-related advertisements and expenditures by independent groups still pack a punch in national elections? Comments from progressive and conservative groups painted a somewhat cloudy picture for third-party electoral spending in a forum today sponsored by Factcheck.org and the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the Newseum in D.C.

Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, pointed out that Barack Obama made it clear he did not want 527s and other independent groups involved in the election. Roger Schlickeisen, president of the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, added that Obama asked his supporters to bypass outside groups and donate directly to his campaign, meaning less robust fundraising for many groups.

However, Scott Wheeler, executive director of the National Republican Trust PAC, insisted that there will always be a place for third-party groups because they can focus on doing one particular thing well -- reaching out to a certain demographic or focusing on a particular issue more effectively than anyone else. Richards and Schlickeisen emphasized the credibility that outside groups can build up with voters: "Third-party validation" is critical to candidates, Richards argued.

Ed Patru, vice president of communications for Freedom's Watch, argued that innovation in third-party messaging comes from the party that's out of power. Democrats were "light years ahead" this cycle, he argued, because they had their brightest minds coming together over the last few years to figure out how to get their message across more effectively. Now that there has been an electoral swing to the left, he said, many Republicans will be analyzing what went wrong and how to fix it. Wheeler agreed, saying, "We will see a more circumspect Republican Party going forward."

One obstacle to third-party efforts, the panelists concurred, is campaign finance law. Richards lamented the restrictions put on independent expenditures by the McCain-Feingold Act, while Schlickeisen argued that the law's biggest problem is its lack of clarity. He described a constant need to consult with attorneys because the law is so complex. Every advertising effort involves risk assessment, and this is a barrier to third-party groups' work, he said.

                                                                                                                  -- Mary Gilbert