Daily Archives: January 24, 2010

elections

Will the Democrats Wake Up?

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The New York Times
January 23, 2010
Op-Ed Columnist

They Still Don’t Get It

How loud do the alarms have to get? There is an economic emergency in the country with millions upon millions of Americans riddled with fear and anxiety as they struggle with long-term joblessness, home foreclosures, personal bankruptcies and dwindling opportunities for themselves and their children.

The door is being slammed on the American dream and the politicians, including the president and his Democratic allies on Capitol Hill, seem not just helpless to deal with the crisis, but completely out of touch with the hardships that have fallen on so many.

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elections

Corporate Coup by Supreme Court Right Wing

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The Supremes Have Opened the Floodgates

By Sen. Russell Feingold
January 24, 2010

 

Sen. Russ Feingold
Sen. Russ Feingold

Published by CounterPunch.

Key Points About the Citizen’s United v. FEC Decision

The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC has opened the floodgates to corporate money in federal campaigns in ways we haven’t seen for nearly a century. While for decades corporations have been able to set up special accounts, called PACs, to accept contributions and spend them on political activities, they have not been allowed to spend money from their vast corporate treasuries in connection with federal elections. Citizens United v. FEC has changed all that.

In this case, the Court took a narrow campaign finance issue and decided a much broader one—whether a century of laws protecting against corruption in government, laws which have been repeatedly upheld as constitutional, should suddenly be overturned. While the core of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), often known as McCain-Feingold, isn’t affected by this decision, the decision does eviscerate longstanding campaign finance law.

Below are some key points about the decision, and how the Court’s move to overrule Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce (1991) and portions of McConnell v. FEC (2003) will undermine our democratic process.

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