Four years ago, in his inaugural State of the Union address, President Obama famously shamed the Supreme Court's five conservative justices for their decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The court, Obama said, "reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests—including foreign corporations—to spend without limit in our elections." Democratic lawmakers, activists, operatives, and donors piled on, condemning the ruling as "scandalous," a "disaster," and "bad for American democracy." When a subsequent court decision, nodding to Citizens United, opened the door to super-PACs, a new breed of political committee that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of cash, Obama branded them "a threat to our democracy."
The Obama of 2010 might not recognize the Democratic Party of 2014.
In the intervening years, Obama and his fellow Democrats embraced big-money politics. Democrats formed super-PACs to defend the presidency, gain seats in the House of Representatives, and preserve their majority in the Senate. Obama is the first president in history to utilize a tax-exempt 501(c)(4) group, which can accept unlimited sums from anonymous donors, to promote his policy agenda. (Organizing for Action, the president's nonprofit, chose to voluntarily disclose its 2013 donors.) And with an eye toward the 2016 presidential race, Democratic operatives have gone to work for various super-PACs mounting a campaign-in-waiting for presumed front-runner Hillary Clinton. If Democrats hate Citizens United on paper, they love it in practice.
Wouldn't it be just like the Right Wing to fight for a Supreme Court decision that ended up being more of a benefit to the Left Wing?
Still, I hate to be a wet blanket or anything, but this law needs to be thrown out and REAL campaign finance reform needs to be implemented. Period!
The idea that those with the most money get to choose our elected leaders should be something that unifies both the Right and the Left.
Unity--what a concept.
ReplyDeleteThe gop has had these money pacs for years. Now, thanks to the SC, the democratic party is fighting fire with fire. If they do not, then the gop would bury any D candidate. Look how long Rove has been enriching himself, pulling his dirty tricks since before W was placed into the WH. At least this way the D's have a fighting chance. Playing "nice" does not work in DC, unfortunately for the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteWorst Supreme Court decision of my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteIt's called fighting fire with fire. We hate it, but when the right uses it to hide the millions from the Kochs and others (while shouting "Sheldon Adelson!!!") at us, we must fight back. I agree, the whole thing is sick and dangerous to our very democracy, you know, the one they are also always whining that the left is taking from the dear rich white men with free Viagra. I don't think the President has changed his opinion...he just figured out how to make the thing work for our side.
ReplyDeleteAgreed
ReplyDeleteI don't think the President has changed his opinion...he just figured out how to make the thing work for our side.
ReplyDeleteRepeated for Truth.
At the risk of sounding like the crazy old uncle at Thanksgiving that's had a few too many beers and won't shut up...
ReplyDeleteI really do wonder if we aren't witnessing the takeover of the world by the corporations.
If President Obama can complete his favored "Trans-Pacific Free Trade Alliance" (which is NAFTA on steroids) that will pretty much be among the final nails in the coffin.
Citizen's United wasn't the first, but it was an extremely significant step towards Corporations rather than countries dividing the world's resources and wealth among the precious few at the cost of the ignorant masses.
Graham-Leach-Bliley was also a crucial nail. (To further mix the metaphor)
ahhhhhhh... crazy-talk from a drunk uncle, right?
I agree with the fire with fire.....what else could he do? I can only hope when we take back the house and senate that will be high on his list, and voters rights. Clarence Thomas and Alito are a disgrace to our country, bought and paid for by the Kochs.
ReplyDeleteWe need to have equal media time in a short period...period.
The millions spent during campaigns only make the ad agencies, PR people and TV stations rich...how about that money going towards something useful.
Although I agree in principle that money should be left out of it, look how well it's been working to obstruct everything President Obama and the Democrats have done or tried to do to move our country forward. We need to create more jobs, get more people into the middle class, improve public education, fix our infrastructure etc. I'd rather see Dems put the money to good use than playing games and hurting our democracy.
ReplyDeleteIt all boils down to "Who do you trust?"