The Hillary Clinton-Industrial Complex

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http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/03/the-hillary-clinton-industrial-complex/284539/

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The prospect of a Hillary Clinton presidential candidacy hasn't just fostered the network of semiofficial outside groups that comprise her shadow campaign in waiting. Clinton fever has also led to a proliferation of smaller groups and websites that hope to capitalize on Clinton's name, but may not help her get to the White House.

More than two and a half years out from the 2016 election, there are no fewer than nine PACs or super PACs that include Clinton's name in their own, according to Federal Election Commission records, on top of dozens of Hillary-themed websites. Some are serious efforts with real money and professional staffs; others seem well-intentioned, but politically unsophisticated; more still seem out make money or have missions and strategies too nebulous to comprehend.

It can hard to keep track of them all. Beyond Ready for Hillary, the grassroots group supported by Clinton allies, there's Hillary 2016, the Hillary Clinton Super PAC, and Hillary FTW (For the Win).

It's never been easier to set up an FEC committee, and there's a sense of inevitability around a potential Clinton candidacy, says Sheila Krumholz, the executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics. "So naturally this inspires both serious party activists and the hucksters that are out to make an easy buck off her name and the public's confusion about the proliferation of sites," Krumholz says. "The bottom line is: It is and always has been donor beware."