Has a real official ring to it doesn't it?

By the way, when I rail against the Congress in that it should be abolished and I include the current president in that reference I also include the Supreme Court, another cabal of mindless US criminals empowered by us.

Right now before the Supreme Court is a case that may very well change the face of politics for us, the American people and for corporations both foreign and domestic, the wealthy, millionaires and billionaires and just about anyone else with a vast sum of money to spend to get their favorite pocket-sized candidate elected.

A ruling is expected as early as tomorrow and this event has managed to fly under the radar screen of most people.

Possibly coming soon to your TV screen: election-season Super Bowl-style ads promoting congressional and presidential candidates, paid for by some of the nation's largest corporations.

It may happen. For decades, business and union money has been largely shut out of state, congressional and presidential campaigns. The Supreme Court may change that in a big way.

The court has raised a range of high-stakes possibilities that could let corporations, unions and wealthy individuals pour money into elections in time for this year's congressional races, not to mention the 2012 presidential contest.

At one extreme, the justices could give corporations, unions and activist groups funded by wealthy donors virtual free rein to run election-time ads for or against candidates.

Depending on the details, such a ruling could lay the groundwork for wealthy interests to press their rights further in future cases and argue they should be able to give money directly to presidential and congressional campaigns.

Going further, the court could strike down state laws banning such donations from campaigns. The justices also could decide that little or no information need be disclosed about such fundraising and spending.

At the other end of the spectrum, the court could stand by current federal law. It bans unions and incorporated entities such as businesses, trade associations and interest groups from donating to national party committees and congressional and presidential campaigns. It also prohibits, close to elections, the airing of aids that urge voters to support or oppose federal candidates.

The court also could let current state laws stand.

Or it could come down somewhere in between, perhaps giving corporations and unions a freer hand in running election-time ads independent of candidates but requiring the disclosure of related fundraising and spending.

The case involves a film that criticized then-presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton during the 2008 Democratic presidential primary campaign.

A conservative group, Citizens United, produced the film and planned to air ads promoting its distribution through cable video-on-demand. The Federal Election Commission said the film amounted to a campaign ad and that Citizens United, an incorporated entity that takes corporate money, could only use limited, disclosed contributions from individuals to promote and broadcast it.

Citizens United disagreed and sued; lower courts sided with the FEC. The Supreme Court agreed to take the case and decided to also consider whether to part ways with past high court decisions upholding restrictions on corporate and union election spending.

The court could rule so narrowly that it simply says the restrictions on corporate and union political ads do not cover material shown through pay-per-view or video-on-demand services.

If the justices decide to undo all or part of the past rulings, they could open a door to corporations to participate directly in elections for the first time since a 1907 law, the Tillman Act, barred such spending.

They could scale back substantially the hard-won 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, also named the McCain-Feingold law after its sponsors, Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and pave the way for eventually undoing strict limits on corporate and union giving in federal elections imposed in the first half of the last century to fight corruption.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AFL-CIO, National Rifle Association and others on Citizens United's side contend they have a right to be involved in elections.

In arguing for an end to restrictions, the Chamber contends current spending and disclosure rules unfairly deprive voters of ads, threatening "the First Amendment rights of willing listeners." Requiring disclosure of donors for political ads inhibits companies from contributing, the group says.

The government contends the current campaign finance rules are constitutional. The Democratic National Committee is backing the government's position. In a brief co-filed by attorney Bob Bauer, who was later named White House counsel, the DNC argued that if the court swept away corporate spending restrictions, for-profit companies could overwhelm the power of individual small-dollar donors.

It also would leave political parties, which can't raise unlimited sums, at a disadvantage in responding to a barrage of corporate political ads attacking their candidates or supporting their opponents, and there "would be a heightened risk of corruption," the Democrats argue.

The biggest potential change would come if the court grants corporations the same free speech protections now granted individuals under the First Amendment, said Trevor Potter, president of the Campaign Legal Center, which wants to preserve current law.

If that happens, he said, there likely would be immediate lawsuits brought arguing that corporations and unions also should be free to donate directly to campaigns, just as individuals can do.

Michael Toner, a former Republican FEC commissioner, said the court gradually has rolled back restrictions on political money.

"You're seeing this chipping away, and that could accelerate if the court decides Citizens United in a really broad fashion," Toner said.

Citizens United is largely backed in its arguments by Republican-leaning groups, which suggests they think loosening restrictions on corporate money in elections would benefit them more than Democrats. But it's not that clear who would get the advantage should corporate and union money be allowed to flow.

Some industries overwhelmingly favor Republicans, while others hedge their bets. Unions can spend big and would do so on behalf of Democrats. Each party has its array of supportive interest groups.

Neither party is short on wealthy activists willing to write $1 million-plus checks. Many of those simply steered their giving to partisan activist groups when soft money was banned from federal elections after the 2002 elections.

Another unknown is to what extent corporate shareholders would support or revolt against companies mining their treasuries to spend in elections, especially in a tough economy. Activist shareholders have long been vocal on the issue, and some have successfully pressed companies to disclose their political spending.

The case is Citizens United v. FEC, 08-205.

Views: 43

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

tjdavis posted blog posts
51 minutes ago
Doc Vega posted photos
3 hours ago
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Is this proof that the story about Charlie Kirk's assassination is false?
"Les prone, Thanks Buddy! "
yesterday
Doc Vega posted a blog post
yesterday
tjdavis posted a photo
yesterday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Is this proof that the story about Charlie Kirk's assassination is false?
"Less Prone as usual the official version of the truth does not match the evidence and is labeled…"
Saturday
Less Prone commented on Doc Vega's blog post This Memorable Anthem Given by Nick Freitas Hit the Nail on the Head Please Listen!
"Charlie Kirk was getting very critical against Israel and had turned down a lucrative deal from the…"
Saturday
Doc Vega's blog post was featured

The Army of Government Launched Psychopaths

They walk among us in most college towns. They seem relatively reasonable until political…See More
Saturday
Less Prone favorited Doc Vega's blog post Is this proof that the story about Charlie Kirk's assassination is false?
Saturday
Less Prone commented on Doc Vega's blog post Is this proof that the story about Charlie Kirk's assassination is false?
"Have to sign in to YT for this. So. What I do is to go to https://ytdown.io/en/ and download…"
Saturday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Was a Planned Civil War Averted?
"cheeki kea, you are spot on. The old guard is about to collapse! "
Oct 2
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Alligator Creek and a Japanese Massacre
"cheeki kea, the Japanese thought they could expand their empire and exact enough damage on the US…"
Oct 2
Michelle Reichert favorited Burbia's video
Oct 1
cheeki kea posted a video

NEW DOCUMENTARY - Dissent Into Madness

TRANSCRIPT AND SOURCES: https://www.corbettreport.com/dissent-into-madness/What if the delusions of the dissidents are in fact real? What if their paranoid f...
Oct 1
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post Alligator Creek and a Japanese Massacre
"Japan served themselves up no favours by inching out into the South Pacific as they soon found out.…"
Oct 1
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post Was a Planned Civil War Averted?
"Their plans did not work out because we are the news now, and the old news is the enemy. "
Oct 1
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Alligator Creek and a Japanese Massacre

The year is 1942 just a few months after the Pearl Harbor disaster. Despite losses suffered by the…See More
Sep 30
Doc Vega commented on Burbia's video
Thumbnail

CHARLIE KIRK WAS CNP! JOSH REEVES 9-11-25

"With all due respect this guy comes off as a drunken asshole and he didn't even  know who…"
Sep 29
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Was a Planned Civil War Averted?

We are living in sadly historic times where good and evil are in battle all the time. Not that this…See More
Sep 28
Sandy posted a photo
Sep 28

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted