George Allen calls Supreme Court decision a victory for freedom of expression

On Thursday, in a decision that divided the Court as bitterly as it has already seemed to divide the country, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that “[n]o sufficient governmental interest justifies limits on the political speech of nonprofit or for-profit corporations” and that “free-speech rights permit groups like corporations and labor unions to directly spend on political campaigns,” including those for President and Congress.  The 5-4 decision, authored by Justice Kennedy for the majority, erases “a 20-year-old Supreme Court ruling that barred corporations from spending freely to support or oppose candidates.”

Former Virginia Governor George Allen (R), who is considering a return to politics, hailed the Supreme Court’s decision as a “victory for freedom of expression.”  A firm believer in “freedom and disclosure” in politics, rather than “limits and restrictions,” Allen also believes the decision is a positive development for the GOP because it will help to “level the playing field for conservative candidates” in 2010 by allowing corporate expenditures to offset the enormous influence wielded by liberal financiers like George Soros.

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), who does not share Allen’s enthusiasm for the ruling, had a remarkably different take.  According to The Wall Street Journal, Grayson, who himself could be mired in a tough reelection bid this fall, called the Court’s decision "'the worst…since the Dred Scott case,'" claiming that it has the potential to "'lead us all down the road to serfdom.'"

The true impact the ruling will have on corporate money in politics remains to be seen; as much will depend on how corporate and union legal advisers read the law and how lower courts interpret the actual language of Justice Kennedy's majority opinion.

While Grayson’s criticism might slightly overstate the problem and the concern many on the left feel about the decision’s prospective impact, one thing is for certain.  Democrats are worried enough that they have already begun to mount a legislative effort to minimize it.