The Financial Campaign Reform is Facing a Setback
By louisehartmann
Those of us who want financial campaign reform are facing a setback as Senate Republicans locked arms and filibustered the Disclose Act. The Disclose Act is a basket of campaign finance reforms that includes not allowing foreign entities to spend money on American political campaigns, prohibiting certain contractors who get large sums of government money from lobbying from buying campaign ads or supporting candidates, and requiring candidates and groups to disclose their funding in campaign materials. The Supreme Court, in a series of decisions over the past 130 years, has brought us to a truly bizarres place. When Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and Madison shepherded through the constitution, they were clear that they were creating a government of, for and by, "we the people," and by people, they meant human beings. But starting in the late 19th century the Supreme Court began to give these rights and powers of citizenship and personhood to entities such as corporations and churches - a proposition that would have horrified the founders. No congress has ever proposed that corporations should have the power to participate as persons in elections, and no president has ever proposed or signed such legislation. This is entirely a creation of the activist judges on the supreme court, and now that legislators are trying to soften it's effects, Republicans are siding with the Supreme Court to keep corporations as people.
Comments
#2
Disturbing candidates. I live in California and the one question that keeps coming back to me is - Why would someone spend tens of millions of their own money to get a job that only pays a couple hundred thousand a year, if that? Oh right, it's about the POWER. That to me is not just perverse, it's sick. It demonstrates a warped personality, someone whose character is not to be trusted. NOTE: I'm not against some millionaire running for public office and using campaign contributions to run. But the idea that the job of Governor or Senator is SO important to an individual that they would spend millions of their money on a campaign instead of using that money to benefit others - even if they spent it on yachts and vacations, someone would benefit from the money spent - that's just sick and disgusting and I wouldn't vote for that person if they were the only candidate on the ballot. And that applies to Democrats as much as Republicans, or Independents. To me, Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina demonstrate sociopathic characteristics that make them unfit for public office.
#3
We better watch out!! The corporate giants are out to finish off the middle class once and for all. With all their money pouring into Republican campaigns they are lining up their congress. And where will the middle class be? Outside with nothing... We better step up and support Democratic candidates who will watch out for us. Who in their right mind wants to go back to the same Republicans who got this economy into such a mess. There is no other choice. We have to keep the Democrats in charge or we will continue to see the Corporate bigwigs getting all the tax breaks besides the corporate welfare they already get and leave the people to scratch out a living. Remember, we are still the people and we are the people who can get them to do what we want. It took a lot of purpose and dedication to get Pres. Obama elected and we need that now to keep the giant corporations from dictating our future...
#4
What's next for the Campaign Finance Reform?
#5
I only watch regular TV when I go to the gym, and that is the only opportunity I get to see political ads on local stations. It is a limited amount of time, but the big ads I've seen are negative ads against Whitman sponsored by public employee groups in CA. I'm anxious to see whether this swell of corporate money is going to get involved. Corporations depend on all to be customers and they don't want to alienate anyone. Look at Target, with only a $150,000 contribution. They won't do that again.
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
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