Considering that SCOTUS ignored the Constitution and decided Citizens United giving corporations free reign to spend $millions to fund disingenuous advertising for Republicans, do you think Republicans will be satisfied with their gift from the fascist five? If your answer is yes, you’re mistaken, because Republicans have filed suit for even more.
Citizens United v. FEC gave corporations unlimited ability to spend money on elections, so long as these attempts to buy elections did not involve direct contributions to a candidate. Shortly thereafter, a lower court ushered in the era of super PACs.
To date, however, the courts have left federal limits on contributions directly to candidates or political parties largely unmolested. Under federal law, individual donations to candidates are limited to $2,500 per candidate, per election, and total contributions to candidates, political party committees and similar organizations are limited to $117,000 every two years. Thus, GOP billionaire Sheldon Adelson can currently give tens of millions of dollars to groups trying to elect Republicans that are separate from the Republican Party, but there remains a cap on how much he can give the GOP directly.
A lawsuit brought by the Republican National Committee now wants to eliminate most of these modest restrictions on election buying, and eliminate the $117,000 cap on donations by people like Adelson. Moreover, because of a federal law that requires the Supreme Court to hear certain campaign finance cases, the Supreme Court is now almost certain to take the case — potentially handing the Republican Party their biggest Supreme Court victory since Citizens United… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Think Progress>
Once again, this underlines the importance of this election, because we are powerless to stop the extreme Republican ideologues on SCOTUS from trashing the Constitution to help the Republican Party create a permanent regime of totalitarian Republican one-party rule, in which elections no longer matter. What we can do is prevent the Court from becoming more packed with Republican activists, and reverse the trend over time by keeping Republicans out of the White House. Obama will appoint Justices like Sotomayor and Kagan. If Romney occupies the White House, Robert Bork will be be doing the picking. Imagine Bork picking the replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
14 Responses to “Republicans Sue to Buy Elections”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
"Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction."
Erich Fromm
Very well said, Erich and Patty.
Evidently the Pugs/T's think you can take it with you when you die, they just want MORE MORE. They don't give a damn about this country or the people in it besides themselves. Old Brokaw was bitching today, he for sure wants more subsidies and less tax, maybe he needs more ranches. Greedy bastards.
I see you know them. 😉
Gypsy, they don't care whether they can take it with them or not, as long as they can keep it out of the hands of anyone who might actually need it to survive.
Welcome Underwriter. 🙂
Well said.
All I can really say is this is one more reason to VOTE— nothing makes Our vote more important–than this does— WE are , I think , in real danger of losing our way of life and the hard won rights that have been won for us– No room for complacency anymore– If anyone thinks for one minute any of these corporations and billionaires have the welfare of the people in mind- better start reassessing-
VOTE!!!
My point, exactly, Phyllis.
There are reasons that when the founding fathers first established the form of government, they separated the executive, legislative and judiciary. But now it seems that the judiciary is blurring the lines, and that is deadly as the judiciary then has the ability to make or break the executive or legislature!
Vote Democratic 2012 for a just and balanced judiciary!
Get out the vote!!!!!
Vote Democratic 2012!!!!! Vote Obama/Biden 2012!!!!!
Amen, Lynn!
With all the hatred for the SCOTUS generated by Citizen's United, you would hope that they would wise up and leave well enough (what they call well enough) alone. Another decision like CU could cause a revolt in this country.
Angie, I can only hope you're right about them wising up, but I won't bet on it.
You're probably right, Tom. Their greed is boundless.
Sad, huh?