Groups affiliated with the GOP are in the midst of an unprecedented attempt at buying this year’s congressional elections. Although the official Democratic campaign committees have about $20 million more than their Republican counterparts, several shadow GOP groups have poured in an additional $64 million – just in August and September! Democrats are nowhere close to matching that total.
Read the rest at The Loop.
Showing posts with label Campaign Finance Reform. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Campaign Finance Reform. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Reaction to Supreme Court Decision on Corporate Money in Campaigns
Thursday, January 21, 2010
U.S. Supreme Court Embraces Corruption
Court rules 5-4 to remove certain corporate spending limits for campaigns.
From the Washington Post:
It's interesting (and fitting in a way) that this ruling would come just as Health Care Non-Reform is perhaps taking its last breaths, after months of being changed, watered down at every turn, and dismantled by the powerful insurance lobby which threw millions of dollars into all sorts of campaigns to kill it. Even if some sort of Health Care bill passes...the insurance industry has already used its power (and the members of Congress that it owns) to shape the legislation in a way that would favor big insurance companies. So they had all bases covered either way.
The Supreme Court move will allow the insurance companies & other corporate interests to reward the members of Congress that they already own...and to (literally) buy more politicians. It's like a D.C. meets Nevada kind of thing. It makes Prostitution legal in the U.S. Congress... & turns the Capitol into a legal brothel.
Read the full decision here, or in window below.
From the Washington Post:
By MARK SHERMAN
Thursday, January 21, 2010; 10:18 AM
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations may spend freely to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress, easing decades-old limits on their participation in federal campaigns.
By a 5-4 vote, the court on Thursday overturned a 20-year-old ruling that said corporations can be prohibited from using money from their general treasuries to pay for their own campaign ads. The decision, which almost certainly will also allow labor unions to participate more freely in campaigns, threatens similar limits imposed by 24 states.
It leaves in place a prohibition on direct contributions to candidates from corporations and unions.
Critics of the stricter limits have argued that they amount to an unconstitutional restraint of free speech, and the court majority apparently agreed.
"The censorship we now confront is vast in its reach," Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his majority opinion, joined by his four more conservative colleagues.
However, Justice John Paul Stevens, dissenting from the main holding, said, "The court's ruling threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions around the nation."
Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor joined Stevens' dissent, parts of which he read aloud in the courtroom.
The justices also struck down part of the landmark McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill that barred union- and corporate-paid issue ads in the closing days of election campaigns.
Advocates of strong campaign finance regulations have predicted that a court ruling against the limits would lead to a flood of corporate and union money in federal campaigns as early as this year's midterm congressional elections.
The decision, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, removes limits on independent expenditures that are not coordinated with candidates' campaigns.
The case also does not affect political action committees, which mushroomed after post-Watergate laws set the first limits on contributions by individuals to candidates. Corporations, unions and others may create PACs to contribute directly to candidates, but they must be funded with voluntary contributions from employees, members and other individuals, not by corporate or union treasuries.
It's interesting (and fitting in a way) that this ruling would come just as Health Care Non-Reform is perhaps taking its last breaths, after months of being changed, watered down at every turn, and dismantled by the powerful insurance lobby which threw millions of dollars into all sorts of campaigns to kill it. Even if some sort of Health Care bill passes...the insurance industry has already used its power (and the members of Congress that it owns) to shape the legislation in a way that would favor big insurance companies. So they had all bases covered either way.
The Supreme Court move will allow the insurance companies & other corporate interests to reward the members of Congress that they already own...and to (literally) buy more politicians. It's like a D.C. meets Nevada kind of thing. It makes Prostitution legal in the U.S. Congress... & turns the Capitol into a legal brothel.
Read the full decision here, or in window below.
Monday, October 20, 2008
McCain Begging Russians For Financial Help
lol, this is too much.
Is it legal? Will this be investigated and given wall to wall news coverage?
From Novosti:
Is it legal? Will this be investigated and given wall to wall news coverage?
From Novosti:
Russia’s permanent mission to the UN has received a letter from U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain asking for financial support of his election campaign, the mission said in a statement on Monday.
‘We have received a letter from Senator John McCain with a request for a financial donation to his presidential election campaign. In this respect we have to reiterate that neither Russia’s permanent mission to the UN nor the Russian government or its officials finance political activities in foreign countries,’ the statement said.
According to Ruslan Bakhtin, press secretary of the Russian mission, the letter dated September 29 and signed by McCain, was addressed to Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s envoy to the UN, and arrived on October 16.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Is Everyone For Sale?
I wonder if Obama will really change Washington when I read stories like this. Both of the "reform" and "change" candidates (although McSame is as phony as can be on "change") have gotten tons of money from Fannie and Freddie lobbyists. I will be watching to see whether he reforms campaign finance.... will he require all candidates to drink from the same Public cup...with a limit on how much money can come from the Democratic or Republican Parties (or any other Party)? Will he stop the system of "bundling"? or will he keep the same corrupt system in place?
I understand that this time around he had to go private, because he would have been steamrolled by Republican Party money. But will he change it once in office? This is something he will have to tackle in his first term... that's if he is able to somehow defeat John McSame.... which will likely require a miracle.
I will give Obama the benefit of the doubt, and give him a chance to change the system once elected. He was in a tough position this time around. But these reports still raise questions.
****************************
Related Articles
Democrats are the Darlings of Wall Street
Both Candidates taking money from Wall Street
Report from Reuters
Report from the Charlotte Observer
I understand that this time around he had to go private, because he would have been steamrolled by Republican Party money. But will he change it once in office? This is something he will have to tackle in his first term... that's if he is able to somehow defeat John McSame.... which will likely require a miracle.
I will give Obama the benefit of the doubt, and give him a chance to change the system once elected. He was in a tough position this time around. But these reports still raise questions.
****************************
Related Articles
Democrats are the Darlings of Wall Street
Both Candidates taking money from Wall Street
Report from Reuters
Report from the Charlotte Observer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
