In a 5-4 ruling the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that corporations (and that means Unions too) are free to spend whatever they want on campaign ads. The part of McCain Feingold that was affected was the part where corporations are not allowed to run ads in the closing days of a campaign.
I am not a fan of campaign finance reform. Money is like quicksilver, you shut off contributions in one area and it simply flows to a new path. What would be far better reform, would be truth in advertising. So many of these campaign ads hide whom the real people are who are pushing these ads. With the use of PACs and advocacy groups, it is hard to tell who really is running the ad. What I would like to see is at the beginning of a campaign ad a very clear and honest statement of who is running the ad. Not just telling me who the PAC or advocacy group is, but who really is paying for that ad.
Another thing I would like to see is on each candidate’s website, a clear list of all the corporations and groups they accepted money from with links to those groups or companies. This way you know exactly who is financing these jokers without having to dig for it. If someone could figure out how to do these things, then we could have some real reform.
Read the full details of the decision here.
UPDATE: The left goes crazy over SCOTUS ruling
Wow, when I posted this, I had no idea how much it would effect the left. They are screaming bloody murder over this ruling. I guess after spending a year bashing corporations, they know those corporations are going to bash them right back come November. Sucks to be them. Just when the Democrats are about to face the toughest elections of their lives, big business can now run a ton of campaign ads against them.
UPDATE: The left goes crazy over SCOTUS ruling
Wow, when I posted this, I had no idea how much it would effect the left. They are screaming bloody murder over this ruling. I guess after spending a year bashing corporations, they know those corporations are going to bash them right back come November. Sucks to be them. Just when the Democrats are about to face the toughest elections of their lives, big business can now run a ton of campaign ads against them.
Via: Memeorandum
Via: The New York Times
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5 comments:
You have an interesting point Clifton! I thought I was for campaign finance reform but you're right, how can we shut off the massive amounts of money needed for campaigns these days? It would be fascinating to see a list of all major donors to every campaign listed on the candidate's website...
I say the GOP better wise up. They need to begin a Constitutional Literacy Program so that people like McCain will never co-author another boondoggle like McCain/Fiengold, ever again. I'm so sick of our congress knowing less about our Constitution than naturalized citizens do! I'm also sick of donating $$ to the RNC, who then use it to finance campaigns of people like Arlen Spector and DeeDee Scozzafava. For a post on this subject go to http://restlesspatriot.blogspot.com
Predictably, like the Kelo Decision, this vote was split directly along ideological lines, with Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito being joined by the "Moderate" Anthony Kennedy and Breyer, Stevens, Ginsburg being joined by that "wise Latina", Sonia Sotomayor.
Why am I not at all surprised?
The really sad thing is that Justice Sotomayor amounts to no change at all from the views of the Bush Sr. appointee she replaced - Justice David Souter.
"Moderate Republicans".....functionally not all that different than liberal Democrats.
I love this ruling, not only is an affirmation of the First Amendment, but it's driving the left batty (battier than usual), so it HAS to be good.
I agree, too, that the real way to get some change in campaigns is to make contributors and the amount they contribute available to the public (NOT via the media, on the internet!) immediately. Let us know what's going on, and we can make our decisions. Novel idea.
What is ironic is that unions, which are usually in bed with the left, also get to run ads. Last I checked the idea of competing interests is still alive and well.
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