Citizens United outcry

[Truthmatters]

Public Citizen Press Room


One Year Later, Movement Is Growing to Overturn Citizens United

Statement of Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen

The theory and practice of the U.S. Supreme Court’s dreadful decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission are incompatible with a well-functioning democracy.

One year and one election after the decision, we know that Citizens United remade the electoral landscape. Not only did it enable corporations to write large checks to affect who would and would not be elected, but it also established that Wild West rules would prevail for campaign 2010. The 2010 campaign and the 2010 election results were influenced quite considerably by Citizens United.

Citizens United has cast a shadow over all policymaking, because elected officials now know that if they cross powerful corporate interests, they face the prospect of an unaccountable, outside campaign to defeat them in the next election.

 

[Truthmatters]

Is there anyone here who thinks it is good for the US democracy to have this in place?

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

 

[The Rabbi]

Public Citizen Press Room


One Year Later, Movement Is Growing to Overturn Citizens United

Statement of Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen

The theory and practice of the U.S. Supreme Court’s dreadful decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission are incompatible with a well-functioning democracy.

One year and one election after the decision, we know that Citizens United remade the electoral landscape. Not only did it enable corporations to write large checks to affect who would and would not be elected, but it also established that Wild West rules would prevail for campaign 2010. The 2010 campaign and the 2010 election results were influenced quite considerably by Citizens United.

Citizens United has cast a shadow over all policymaking, because elected officials now know that if they cross powerful corporate interests, they face the prospect of an unaccountable, outside campaign to defeat them in the next election.

Back in the old days Liberals applauded every expansion of free speech. Citizens ought to have been one of those moments.
Now liberals are for free speech, as long as it is theirs. Anything contrary to that is labeled "corporatism" and "hate speech."
The truth is United Citizens did nothing that the OP alleges. Corporations are still forbidden to contribute to candidates' elections. This fact seems to get lost conveniently, in libs' talking points.

 

[BlackAsCoal]

Is there anyone here who thinks it is good for the US democracy to have this in place?

That considers that there is still a democracy in America .. which is open to question.

This country is now fully in the hands of the corporate will. We are a plutocracy. They even own and control American elections. The winner is determined by software .. that they own .. and no on else in America can even look at or examine. There is more integrity in the elections in Kenya then the US.

Corporations are in full control and the right thinks that's a good thing. They applaud a shrinking democracy and lay out the red carpet for the corporate takeover of America.

Democrats are too damn weak to stop them, so they joined them and are now just as corporate owned as republicans.

Our demise is set in motion and we deserve it.

 

[Truthmatters]

Corporations are not people.

The people who run them can vote already IF they are citizens.

 

[The Rabbi]

Corporations are not people.

The people who run them can vote already IF they are citizens.

Thanks for pointing out the obvious.

Corporations are associations of people. As such they ought to have the same rights, including political speech.

 

[dilloduck]

It doesn't matter who gets elected. They are still forced to deal with the facts and the powers that be. They find out real quickly that whatever they promised during the campaign isn't going to happen.

 

[BlackAsCoal]

Corporations are not people.

The people who run them can vote already IF they are citizens.

If you spend much time interacting with people on the right, you'll find that there isn't a lot of intelligence there. They are motivated by god, not intelligence. They delude themselves into believing that they actually know what the constitution is about.

"I hope we shall... crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government in a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country." -- Thomas Jefferson

It doesn't take much intelligence to recognize that when you designate corporations as people, real people are going to lose.

 

[Truthmatters]

Corporations are not people.

The people who run them can vote already IF they are citizens.

Thanks for pointing out the obvious.

Corporations are associations of people. As such they ought to have the same rights, including political speech.

The people in them already have rights.

The US was not designed to give corporations control over the government was it?

 

[The Rabbi]

That's true, the people in them have rights. Why should they lose those right just because they form a corporation?

 

[uptownlivin90]

Is there anyone here who thinks it is good for the US democracy to have this in place?

Yes. Following the constitution is always good for our democracy.

 

[The Rabbi]

As I said, in the old days liberals wanted more free speech. Whatever happened to thsoe people??

 

[uscitizen]

Money is not speech. Money has no mouth nor is it a citizen.

MOney is an unequalizer when it is called/used as free speech.
The ones with the most money can "talk" the loudest.

It causes the buying of our government.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Is there anyone here who thinks it is good for the US democracy to have this in place?

Yes. Following the constitution is always good for our democracy.

Pos Rep to follow

 

[California Girl]

Is there anyone here who thinks it is good for the US democracy to have this in place?

That considers that there is still a democracy in America .. which is open to question.

This country is now fully in the hands of the corporate will. We are a plutocracy. They even own and control American elections. The winner is determined by software .. that they own .. and no on else in America can even look at or examine. There is more integrity in the elections in Kenya then the US.

Corporations are in full control and the right thinks that's a good thing. They applaud a shrinking democracy and lay out the red carpet for the corporate takeover of America.

Democrats are too damn weak to stop them, so they joined them and are now just as corporate owned as republicans.

Our demise is set in motion and we deserve it.

America is Republic, not a democracy... as in "I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America. and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands......."

 

[uscitizen]

The constitution does not cover money as pseech.
That is just another court decision. Of which many court decisions you tend to call unconstitutional if it suits your political purposes.

 

[The Rabbi]

The constitution does not cover money as pseech.
That is just another court decision. Of which many court decisions you tend to call unconstitutional if it suits your political purposes.

Since the Court is the arbiter of what is constitutional or not by definition anything they decide is constitutional. That doesn't make it necessarily good policy (see Kelo) but that is another issue.

Libs seem to object to Citizens solely on the idea that it threatens their power. Note the absence of outrage over unions having the same rights corporations do.

 

[BlackAsCoal]

Is there anyone here who thinks it is good for the US democracy to have this in place?

That considers that there is still a democracy in America .. which is open to question.

This country is now fully in the hands of the corporate will. We are a plutocracy. They even own and control American elections. The winner is determined by software .. that they own .. and no on else in America can even look at or examine. There is more integrity in the elections in Kenya then the US.

Corporations are in full control and the right thinks that's a good thing. They applaud a shrinking democracy and lay out the red carpet for the corporate takeover of America.

Democrats are too damn weak to stop them, so they joined them and are now just as corporate owned as republicans.

Our demise is set in motion and we deserve it.

America is Republic, not a democracy... as in "I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America. and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands......."

That considers that there is still a democracy in America .. which is open to question.

I said a democracy IN America,

Doesn't matter what you call it, democracy is / was the political engine that drives it politics .. and the giant hole in that engine is money.

I say again, even the Founders knew that .. even if those who claim to know the Founders don't.

 

[Intense]

Corporations are not people.

The people who run them can vote already IF they are citizens.

If you spend much time interacting with people on the right, you'll find that there isn't a lot of intelligence there. They are motivated by god, not intelligence. They delude themselves into believing that they actually know what the constitution is about.

"I hope we shall... crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government in a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country." -- Thomas Jefferson

It doesn't take much intelligence to recognize that when you designate corporations as people, real people are going to lose.

The only thing obvious here is that your prejudice is interfering with your reason. You need to reexamine your premise.