Money Is Speech And
Corporations Are People
Gary Gerard,
dumbhoosier.com
I admit I am just a dumb Hoosier.
I am completely and unabashedly unenlightened. I am so dumb, in fact, I
can't seem to wrap my tiny, addled brain around two simple concepts:
1. Money is speech.
2. A corporation is a person.
Those two concepts - the law of the land because of U.S. Supreme Court
rulings - are what drive "campaign finance reform." I put "campaign
finance reform" in quotes because it may be the biggest oxymoron ever.
Every time the boys in Washington bring us "campaign finance reform,"
political campaigns become even more absurd. They always tell us this
new legislation is a "tough bill" that's going to "reign in" the
special interest influence in politics. But then each iteration of
"campaign finance reform" makes things worse.
It's patently absurd.
Our venerable leaders in Washington all - and I mean all - tell us they
are worried about special interest money pouring into elections.
Really?
Well then how come after a couple of decades or so of various "campaign
finance reform" laws there's more special interest money in elections
now than ever before.
They passed McCain-Feingold to stop the flow of corrupting
special-interest "soft money" going to political parties.
So what happened?
All that special interest money flowed through the 527 or 501(c)4
corporate loopholes. The parties were limited by the law, so the
corporations took over lots of what the parties did before - issue ads,
get-out-the-vote ads, etc.
Along comes the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling
this year.
It allowed corporations and unions to spend on candidates directly -
like individuals do - instead of running issue ads that don't name the
candidate.
Open the floodgates, there's a crack in the dam.
This year's midterm election will see a record $4 billion in campaign
spending. And it's a midterm, people - in a bad economy.
I don't have to tell you about campaign spending. Surely you've noticed
how flooded the local airwaves are with ads. I especially like the
Walorski/Donnelly ads where they accuse each other of kicking puppies
and tripping old ladies in the crosswalk. Or the Coats/Ellsworth ads
where they accuse each other of stealing from Girl Scouts selling
cookies.
Don't really see too many Stutzman/Hayhurst ads. That election must be
a foregone conclusion.
It really is sickeningly ridiculous.
A recent New York Times article notes: "... All hours. All mediums. A
football game-break brings three attacks in a row, calling a senator a
liar, a vandal and a glutton for debt. A weather update is interrupted
by a trio of hits from the other side, making the challenger out to be
the worst thing for women since Neanderthal man took up a club as an
accessory to romance."
The article notes that every day on the campaign breaks a record. A
week ago Friday, there were 1,200 television ads in Las Vegas for the
Senate race between Harry Reid and Sharron Angle.
Awesome.
And don't buy it when a political party hack whines about how the other
party is collecting more money or has more secret donors or more shady
contributors.
Both parties work the laws to maximum effect. Both of them. It's an
inarguable truth.
The difference in the amount of contributions is directly proportional
to the level of enthusiasm of the donors. That varies from election to
election.
In 2006 and 2008, Demos collected more than the GOP. This year, it's
the other way around. Don't buy into that nonsense that one party is
worse than another.
They're both awful.
See, none of this is how the system was meant to work.
This country is no longer a Constitutional Republic. It's more like
some third-world corporate oligarchy where a bunch of insanely rich
people wield huge amounts of power and influence.
And it doesn't stop at elections.
It happens in policy.
Politicians don't go to Washington to do the bidding of their
constituents. They do the bidding of their benefactors.
Need proof?
The vast majority of Americans think there is too much money
influencing politics. Yet politicians pass laws that funnel even more
money into politics.
The vast majority of Americans are against deficit spending and huge
national deficits. Yet politicians vote to enact huge programs and
enlarge the deficits.
The vast majority of Americans are against corporations outsourcing
millions of American jobs. Yet politicians pass laws that make it
easier for corporations to do just that.
I could go on, but you get the picture.
Make no mistake.
Politicians - regardless of party affiliation - couldn't care less what
the average American thinks. Unless, of course, it's an average
American with a big, fat checkbook.
They feel our pain, blah, blah, blah. That's a load of the stuff that
flies off the back of the honey wagon. It's all about the dollar and
endless re-election cycles.
And frankly, with the current crop of politicians in charge and a fully
compliant U.S. Supreme Court, I don't see how we'll ever turn things
around.
I may sound a bit cynical, but you know what?
I'm Gary Gerard and I approve this message.
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