I know that the Citizens United decision happened over four years ago and has already done immense damage to our political system, but I fear that we ain’t seen nothing yet. According to the NY Times:
This election year will be the moment when individual candidate super PACs — a form of legalized bribery — become a truly toxic force in American politics. The giant ideological super PACs formed by political operatives like Karl Rove spent hundreds of millions in 2012, but didn’t produce the conservative revolution demanded by the big donors. So now the torrent of cash is heading toward smaller groups set up to promote a single candidate or, more often, to trash that candidate’s opponent.
Is there anything we can do? I’m not sure. Bills have been introduced into Congress to fix this problem, including the Empowering Citizen’s Act, but given that most Republicans think Citizens United was a good thing, I’m not sure that they will have much chance of passage anytime soon.
5 Comments
I still contend that the money spent on the campaigns takes from the rich and recycles in the hands of the middle class, media, etc.
That money spent on campaigns is a great investment which insures the continuing redistribution of wealth from the middle class to the wealthy. The middle class is receiving dimes for dollars.
Only if “the people” buy the brain washing.
As Iron Knee pointed out, two years ago, “the people” were much wiser.
I have an overwhelming sense of irony when a US based media outlet describes a foreign nation as “corrupt,” while we have managed to institutionalize and legalize the bribery of elected officials under the guise of “campaign contributions” at every level of our government. You simply don’t seek any discretionary action by an elected official at any level in this country without having a check for his/her campaign coffers; at least if you want a favorable outcome.
Amen, brother Mike.