CDZ Should Corporations and Big Donors Be Limited in Donations to Politics?

[JimBowie1958]

Billionaires bankrolling 2016 campaign to unprecedented degree Fox News

"Billionaires are bankrolling the early days of the 2016 presidential campaign to an unprecedented degree, with at least 40 of the wealthiest Americans plowing $60 million into super PACs aligned with the top tier of candidates.

The torrent of super PAC money is revolutionizing presidential politics in the wake of a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to unlimited contributions from corporations, unions and individuals into these outside groups.

Super PACs backing 17 presidential candidates raised more than $250 million in the first six months of this year, roughly doubling the $125 million raised by the candidates for their campaigns, disclosure reports filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission show."


This is stupid. Corporations and the wealthy elites are trying to buy our elections.

 

[Moonglow]

If limited they could only give 50 dollars..

 

[dblack]

As long as all kinds of exemptions and loopholes can be carved out by Congress, this will be a hit!

 

[candycorn]

All advertising for federal office General elections should be free. Get money out of the equation. Get politicians out of having to raise money and back to work on issues facing the nation. Let the rich and corporations do whatever they want in the soft money sphere...can't stop them.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

De-funding politics half ass gets us nowhere. Stop paying the politicians. Stop allowing them to take legal bribes, and then we'll talk.

 

[dblack]

All advertising for federal office General elections should be free. Get money out of the equation. Get politicians out of having to raise money and back to work on issues facing the nation. Let the rich and corporations do whatever they want in the soft money sphere...can't stop them.

Free!

 

[JimBowie1958]

I agree with Jimmy Carter on this one:
"HARTMANN: Our Supreme Court has now said, “unlimited money in politics.” It seems like a violation of principles of democracy. … Your thoughts on that?

CARTER: It violates the essence of what made America a great country in its political system. Now it’s just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president or to elect the president. And the same thing applies to governors and U.S. senators and congress members. So now we’ve just seen a complete subversion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors, who want and expect and sometimes get favors for themselves after the election’s over. … The incumbents, Democrats and Republicans, look upon this unlimited money as a great benefit to themselves. Somebody’s who’s already in Congress has a lot more to sell to an avid contributor than somebody who’s just a challenger."

Jimmy Carter The U.S. Is an Oligarchy With Unlimited Political Bribery

I am thinking we should have a cable channel set aside on all local cable systems that is devoted to letting candidates explain themselves and they would get on hour each week. There is no political monetary contribution, but 'soft money' contributions (people donating time and resources) would be unlimited. Issue advocacy groups can advertise as much as they want but they have to avoid naming any particular candidate in their advertisements or give an endorsement in those ads. To endorse a candidate they would have to use part of that candidates weekly hour of programming.

Of course the Corporate owned media would hate this as it would cost them their windfall profits every two years.

 

[M14 Shooter]

Campaign donations = free speech.
Why do you hate free speech?

 

[JimBowie1958]

Campaign donations = free speech.

For individuals and nonprofit corporation, sure that is free speech.

But when for-profit corporations do it is = bribery.

Why do you hate free speech?

Why do you assume that I do?

Your classic loaded question is akin to ''When did you stop beating your wife?'

Maybe you should work for FOX?

 

[M14 Shooter]

Campaign donations = free speech.

For individuals and nonprofit corporation, sure that is free speech.
But when for-profit corporations do it is = bribery.

Not any more than when individuals and non-profits do it.

Why do you hate free speech?

Why do you assume that I do?

Because you complain when it is exercised and want to arbitrarily limit it.
So, again: why do you hate free speech?

 

[JimBowie1958]

Campaign donations = free speech.

For individuals and nonprofit corporation, sure that is free speech.
But when for-profit corporations do it is = bribery.

Not any more than when individuals and non-profits do it.

Why do you hate free speech?

Why do you assume that I do?

Because you complain when it is exercised and want to arbitrarily limit it.
So, again: why do you hate free speech?

You are ignoring the scale involved. When little old Granny Smith donates $20 to Jebba the Bush, she isn't going to get any favors tossed her way and she knows it. Even though in the old days and even among some candidates today, the average donation was under $100, it isn't that way any more.

And when a corporation like Microsoft donated say $50 million to a PAC that is tacitly supporting Obama and buys Romney hit ads for 6 straight months, this isn't a little old Granny Smith kind of thing at all. They expect more in return than what they gave, the current ratio being about 1:10, each dollar donated gets $10 in pork and equal value legislation passed for them. Like Microsoft has been demanding that Obama get them their H1-B serfs or ELSE. So Obama uses an Executive Order that just a few months before he said was unconstitutional. IT just not unconstitutional if Microsoft say do it anyway.

Old Granny Smitth is not bribing as she has no pull, but Microsoft is bribing and they get people jumping on their tippy toes when they say 'MOVE!'

Big fucking difference and if you cant see that then you are beyond my remedy.

 

[M14 Shooter]

Campaign donations = free speech.

For individuals and nonprofit corporation, sure that is free speech.
But when for-profit corporations do it is = bribery.

Not any more than when individuals and non-profits do it.

Why do you hate free speech?

Why do you assume that I do?

Because you complain when it is exercised and want to arbitrarily limit it.
So, again: why do you hate free speech?

You are ignoring the scale involved.

Scale?
Your complain was bribery.
A $20 bribe is a bribe. A $2,000 bribe is a bribe.
So, again: why do you hate free speech?

 

[jwoodie]

A $20 bribe is a bribe. A $2,000 bribe is a bribe.

$20 does not buy influence. $20,000 does.

 

[M14 Shooter]

A $20 bribe is a bribe. A $2,000 bribe is a bribe.

$20 does not buy influence. $20,000 does.

Bribe = bribe

 

[warf]

So, again: why do you hate free speech?

The Koch brothers are spending over 800 million dollars on Republican candidates.

How is this free speech when it drowns out everyone else?

 

[M14 Shooter]

So, again: why do you hate free speech?

The Koch brothers are spending over 800 million dollars on Republican candidates.
How is this free speech when it drowns out everyone else?

It's no different that me being able to yell louder than you.
Rather than bleat about unfair spending on republican candidates, why don't you dell ideas that people will buy?

 

[M14 Shooter]

So, again: why do you hate free speech?

This is what one says who is unable to think.

The final refuge of someone with nothing to say.

 

[warf]

It's no different that me being able to yell louder than you.

It's nothing like that.

Since most voters know nothing about the candidates they base their vote on the ads.

800 million dollars buys more ads than anyone else can afford. Therefore their money is drowning out every other voice. It's not free speech. It's purchased speech.

 

[M14 Shooter]

It's no different that me being able to yell louder than you.

It's nothing like that.

Its exactly like that.
More money = more people hear the message
Louder voice = more people hear the message

Rather than bleat about "unfair spending" on Republican candidates, why don't you sell ideas that people will buy?

 

[hortysir]

No limits for anyone

However....FULL disclosure
I want to know who owns my Critter