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Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Open Thread: SCOTUS SCREWSUS

Though long expected, the decision to overturn Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce and to thereby allow unlimited corporate financing of campaigns is nonetheless shocking. Republicans, with the exception of McCain, are cheering this decision (can near see them rubbing their hands greedily together as they fantasize gleefully over the money soon to be pouring into their campaign coffers). Exxon and Phillip Morris can now give eleventy billion dollars to see that likes of Michelle Bachmann stay in office till they turn to dust.

I want to scream.

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Rather than attempt to explain this decision through my own frustration muddled mind, here is a link to RawStory with a good overview of it and of early reactions to it.

Republicans say ‘freedom won,’ liberal jokes real winner is Satan

The US Supreme Court on Thursday lifted a 20-year ruling which had set limits on campaign financing by US businesses, and critics, including nonpartisan watchdogs and Congressional Democrats, are up in arms about the decision, which most had feared for a long time. Meanwhile, aside from Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Republicans appear to be gleeful about their second apparent victory of the week.

I am so bloody frustrated with our government…41 seat Senate ‘majority’, the filibuster, the Roberts Court, Brown, HCR, and the list goes on and on.

Though, I guess we can all be thankful that John Edwards did not find his way to the Presidency, or Vice Presidency, Attorney General’ency (heh), or find his way into any other position in Obama’s Administration. He finally fessed today to having fathered a child out of wedlock.

Former presidential candidate John Edwards abandoned his long denial that he had fathered a child during an affair with a campaign aide and admitted today that he is the father of the almost 2-year-old girl.

“I am Quinn’s father,” Edwards said in the bombshell statement this morning. “I will do everything in my power to provide her with the love and support she deserves.”

Again, not that anyone is surprised by this point, but, good grief, what a filthy lying SOB.

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To think, I used to support the slimeball. Sheesh.

Think I am gonna go stuff my head in the sand somewhere for a bit. Catch ya’ll on the flip.

Open thread..rant away.


Categories: Uncategorized.

/ 70 Comments

70 comments

  2. Cheryl Kopec

    Ever since it broke, I’ve been waiting for someone to start the ball rolling. I just couldn’t, myself, because my mind is still reeling over it. Thom Hartmann is talking about it on his show right now. I hope Ed Schultz will, too.

    We are screwed. Goodbye, democracy. Unless Alan Grayson’s bills pass. I hope he runs for prez in 2012.

  3. fogiv

    Stevens’ dissent:

    In his dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens accused the majority of judicial activism and attacked the use of corporate personhood in the case: “The conceit that corporations must be treated identically to natural persons in the political sphere is not only inaccurate but also inadequate to justify the Court’s disposition of this case.”

    Big O not pleased:

    “With its ruling today, the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics,” said President Obama in a statement. “It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans… That’s why I am instructing my Administration to get to work immediately with Congress on this issue. We are going to talk with bipartisan Congressional leaders to develop a forceful response to this decision.”

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…

  4. Kysen

    I read something about Obama possibly being able to add 2 seats to the Scotus. Making it an eleven seat Court instead of a nine seat Court. Doing so, he would be the one to appoint the 2 new Justices. Anyone know anything about this? The pros…the cons?

    Along those same lines does anyone know what is needed to change the filibuster rules? Have read differing accounts. Personally, I think that the filibuster IN THEORY has worth. However, I think it ought take 51 votes to filibuster a bill…the minority ought have to pull at least some of the majority to use it. As it stands, the filibuster gives near complete control of the Senate to the minority. NOT how our government is supposed to work.

    So, in my big rock candy mountain fantasy world….I want Obama to add 2 seats to the SCOTUS, I want the Senate to change the filibuster rules, and I want the House to pass the Senate HCR bill (we can clean up the flaws in it AFTER we have something to work with).

    And a pony.

    I want my damn pony!

  5. creamer

    I accept that corporations are going to spend more on campaigns. How much?

    Is some of that offset by them funneling less into PAC’s?

    How much more can/will unions spend?

    This is really no suprise, we all knew Roberts was and remains a conservative republican. All the more reason not to start bailing on the Democratic Party.

     

  6. Cheryl Kopec

    Lady just called in with a good point: if corporations are persons, then is a merger a marriage? And would multiple mergers qualify as polygamy? Would a takeover be considered slavery? If one corporation put another one out of business, could it be indicted for murder?

  7. sricki

    he diaried it on dKos. From his statement:

       In a 5-to-4 decision today, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that corporations have the “right” to spend an unlimited amount of money to influence and manipulate federal elections.  The decision overturns more than a century of law and precedent.  Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) immediately condemned the decision.  “This is the worst Supreme Court decision since the Dred Scott case,” Grayson said.  “It leads us all down the road to serfdom.”

    The court decision completely ignores the likelihood that corporations will spend money to elect officials who will do their bidding, and punish those who won’t.  It allows unlimited election spending by all corporations, even foreign ones.  “The Supreme Court has decided to protect the rights of GE, Volkswagen, Lukoil and Aramco, at the expense of our right to good government,” Grayson added.

    Congressman Grayson was in the courtroom when the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision.  Grayson circulated a petition yesterday, saying:  “Unlimited corporate spending on campaigns means the government is up for sale, and that the law itself will be bought and sold.”  Within hours, over 10,000 people had signed the petition.  Rep. Grayson delivered those petitions to the Court this morning.

    Rep. Grayson also has introduced five bills, the Save Our Democracy package, in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s ruling.  When he introduced the bills, Grayson said, “if this goes unchallenged, then you can kiss your country goodbye.”

    Today, Rep. Grayson called for immediate action on his Save Our Democracy bills.  “If we do nothing, then before long, there won’t be Senators from Oklahoma or Virginia, there will be Senators from Citibank and WalMart.  Maybe they will wear insignias on their $500 suits, like NASCAR drivers do.”

    Grayson urges people to contact their Senators and Congressmen, and urge support for the Save Our Democracy bills.

    He has introduced 5 bills to reverse this decision, and we really ought to take what action we can. From HuffPo:

    Grayson introduced a handful of bills on Wednesday — the Business Should Mind Its Own Business Act, the Corporate Propaganda Sunshine Act, the End Political Kickbacks Act, and two other measures.

    The Business Should Mind Its Own Business Act would impose a 500 percent excise tax on corporate contributions to political committees and on corporate expenditures on political advocacy campaigns. The Corporate Propaganda Sunshine Act would require public companies to report what they spend to influence public opinion on any matter other than the promotion of their goods and services. The End Political Kickbacks Act would restrict political contributions by government contractors.

    The other measures would apply antitrust regulations to political committees and bar corporations from securities exchanges unless the corporation is certified in compliance with election law.

    It’s not too late to sign Grayson’s petition at savedemocracy.net.  

  9. HappyinVT

    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A unanimous California Supreme Court has struck down a law that sought to impose limits on the amount of marijuana a medical patient can legally possess.

    The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that state lawmakers were wrong to change provisions of the voter-approved Proposition 215. The 1996 measure allowed for patients with a doctor’s recommendation to possess an unspecified amount of marijuana.

    http://www.talkingpointsmemo.c…

  10. Charles Lemos

    apply only to human beings. Since corporations are not people they in theory can live forever, we can’t corporations are not entitled to freedom of speech.

    A bit more of the country died today.

  11. creamer

    per H Post

    That’s regrettable, obviously, from where I stand and the positions I’ve taken and argued here,” Snowe told HuffPost Thursday to describe her reaction to the decision.

    “It’s very disappointing, frankly,” she said. Other prominent members of her party, including Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, have endorsed the decision.

    The decision does make it easier to paint republicans as coporate shills. Along with a push towards spanking the banks maybe we get our mojo back.

  12. Kysen

    …to overturn today’s SCOTUS ruling on campaign finance.


    “I have introduced this important legislation because the Supreme Court’s ruling strikes at the very core of democracy in the United States by inflating the speech rights of large, faceless corporations to the same level of hard-working, every day Americans,” Boswell said in a statement. “The court’s elevation of corporate speech inevitably overpowers the speech and interests of human citizens who do not have the coffers to speak as loudly.”

    I am hopeful that Congress acts swiftly and firmly to this deplorable SCOTUS ruling. Boswell’s amendment makes it very clear that corporate money would not be welcomed in the political campaign process.

    Boswell said House Joint Resolution 68 would disallow a corporation or labor organization from using any operating funds or any other funds from its general treasury to pay for an advertisement in connection with a federal election campaign, regardless of whether or not the advertisement expressly advocates the election or defeat of a specified candidate.

    “Corporations already have an active role in American political discourse through million-dollar political action committees and personal donations to campaigns,” Boswell said. “The legislation I introduced will prevent the Wall Street corporations that received billions in taxpayer bailout dollars from turning around and pouring that same money into candidates that will prevent financial regulation on their industry. No American should have to turn on the TV and see AIG telling them how to vote.”

    With Olympia Snowe and McCain already expressing their displeasure, Obama may actually have his first truly ‘bipartisan’ Congressional attempts coming soon.

  13. HappyinVT

    Reps. Bobby Bright (D-Ala.) and Mike McMahon (D-N.Y.) asked members in a “Dear Colleague” letter Thursday to support extending the tax cuts, which passed in 2001 and 2003 and are set to expire this year, for at least another two years. Specifically, Bright and McMahon are asking lawmakers to sign a letter to Obama asking him to include the tax cuts in his budget plans for 2010.

    Can’t you do something about not-so-Bright?

  14. Shaun Appleby

    One wonder what all our populist Republican rabble-rousers position is on this?  Sarah?  Whatcha’ think?

  15. John Allen

    I’m ready to convert. Jesus, please come soon. I can’t take much more of this.

    • Health care reform hanging by a thread that turned into a noose.
    • A Republicn elected to Teddy Kennedy’s seat one short year after it became very obvious that Republican policies almost broke this country.
    • The Supreme Court ending all pretense to “Government by the people”

    The Rapture can’t come soon enough for me. Jeebus, take me home!

  16. DTOzone

    Tapper tweets;

    RT @dceiver I want to send only my kindest thoughts to @anamariecox, @megancarpentier, and @vonverena. And everyone else at Air America.

    Ok…we extend our condolensces to others in the media who lose their jobs all the time, I know this pretty well.

    Apparently the crazies did not like it

    Tapper tweets on;

    job loss is sad, no matter what the ideology of the institution. Ppl laughing at Air America’s demise — get some perspective and grow up

    those of u saying i wouldnt offer consolation for a conservative media outlet closing – youre wrong, and youre rude

    2 minutes ago from mobile web

    seriously, when partisanship blocks your humanity – i mean get a grip.

    1 minute ago from mobile web

  17. HappyinVT

    LONDON – International hotel chain Holiday Inn is offering a trial human bed-warming service at three hotels in Britain this month.

    If requested, a willing staff-member at two of the chain’s London hotels and one in the northern English city of Manchester will dress in an all-in-one fleece sleeper suit before slipping between the sheets.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34…

  18. canadian gal

    that is beyond brutal. if anything, one would have thought that the pendulum would have swung much further in the other direction. sometimes i really do not understand US politics at all.

  19. HappyinVT

    response to the SOTU.  Will the drinking game be how many times he calls his own election a referendum on Obama’s agenda?

  20. alyssa chaos

    Welcome to the United States of America, INC.

    or how about

    United Corporations of America.

    Im leaning towards the first. and Im upset. ughhh, and people thought politicians were bought before?

    gah!

  21. creamer

    I understand the agnst that everyone feels about this decision. I hope no one was suprised. I know corporation will try to take advantage. I also think that the mood of electorate concerning corporations is a bit of a wild card.Not only will that mood lead to some legislation that at least modifys the spending, it also could very well lead to some unintended consequences in November. Seems like a Senator getting huge amounts of corporate backing might have a hard time being a populist.

      We have a law prof in the White House and large majjoritys in both chambers of congress. Time to dust ourselves off and move forward. Its a little early to move to Canada. No offence CG.

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