Corporations like Pfizer gained increasing clout over politicians through the ruling. AP Photo Mark Lennichan
Last night Jon Stewart took on the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Not surprisingly Stewart's opinion of the decision was not positive. Progressives like Stewart feel the decision opens up the floodgates to corporate spending on individual elections. Theoretically a corporation like Pfizer could threaten a Senator or Representative with nearly unlimited spending for campaign ads if that Congressmen votes for legislation that Pfizer does not like. In the reverse a corporation like Exxon could spend $15 million for positive ads in one Representative's district if that Representative sponsors legislation for them.
In truth corporations could spend on "issue ads" against candidates before but those ads could not directly urge viewers to vote for or against an individual candidate. This Citizens United decision merely knocks down some of the walls that kept corporations from going "all out" in their support of an individual candidate. For example previously corporations could not buy ads 60 days before a general election and 30 days before a primary election. Now they could purchase ads that aired the day before an election. A full copy of the decisions (183 pages long) can be read here.
More worrisome than the minor changes in campaign finance law is the new precedent the decision sets down. In the ruling the Supreme Court grants corporations some of the same rights as "persons" under the U.S. Constitution. An expansion of that reasoning to other areas of the law could greatly restrict the ability of government to regulate corporations in the future. Stewart mocks this reasoning in the segment below as his guest celebrates the freedom gained by the "oppressed minority" of corporations.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
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Comments
Seems everyone is watching FOX News.
www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/fox_news_finishes_week_1_in_all_of_primetime_cable_150010.asp
Fox News was the top cable network in primetime last week, averaging the most total viewers between January 18th-24th. The last time FNC topped USA and came in first was during the week of the 2008 presidential election.
In a week dominated by coverage of the earthquake in Haiti and the U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts, FNC drew an average of 3.2 million total viewers in primetime (Mon-Sun).
Fox was ranked 3rd in total day. CNN was 22nd in primetime and 19th in total day, and MSNBC was 25th in primetime and 31st in total day.
hehehehe
and then theres the liberals that wacth fox for a laugh that make up aot of there audiance
Who watches? says:
"Seems everyone is watching FOX News.
Fox News was the top cable network in primetime last week, averaging the most total viewers between January 18th-24th. The last time FNC topped USA and came in first was during the week of the 2008 presidential election.
In a week dominated by coverage of the earthquake in Haiti and the U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts, FNC drew an average of 3.2 million total viewers in primetime (Mon-Sun)."
yes, those selfish a&&es at fox decided to go for the ratings instead of humanity by bypassing coverage of Haiti...at the same time telling people not to donate and then questioning the telethon supporters honesty by demanding to know what is to be done with the 61 million collected (WITHOUT FOX'S HELP).
yeah, REEEEEEEAL quality people at fox.
Real motherf......................
Idiots like walrus seem to be under the false impression that Fox News is JUST Hannity, Beck and O'Rilley. That is just 3 of 18 hours a day programming.
But no one expects too much from the mentally disturbed like walrus.
walrus LIES too! I saw hours and hours of Haiti coverage on Fox.
Who watches? says:
"....Fox News was the top cable network in primetime last week,..."
PRIMETIME
Hannity, Beck and O'Rilley.
quit being a snake...if you say something BACK IT UP...quit bobbing and weaving like a snake.
If the only voices that can be heard during the campaigns are the progressive media, the unions, and the trial lawyers, wouldn't this be a beautiful world?
Gigi says:
"If the only voices that can be heard during the campaigns are the progressive media, the unions, and the trial lawyers, wouldn't this be a beautiful world?"
no
Wally,
The only way you'd ever agree with me is if you can do it by saying 'no':)
Gigi says:
"Wally,
The only way you'd ever agree with me is if you can do it by saying 'no':) "
I'm practising to convert to a republican...I don't have to cut off anything at the ceremony, do I?
Wally,
The only thing you have to cut off is communication with those evil spirits telling you that right is wrong and wrong is right. When the exorcism ceremony is complete, you are cured and become a 'regular American'.
Gigi says:
"Wally,
The only thing you have to cut off is communication with those evil spirits telling you that right is wrong and wrong is right. When the exorcism ceremony is complete, you are cured and become a 'regular American'."
Gigi, how is letting people go without healthcare right?
How is letting people go hungry right?
who really has evil spirits telling her that letting people die for lack of healthcare is right? Who really has evil spirits telling her that taxes going to feed people is wrong? The problem with most conservative christians is that they have become the "money changers" in the temple and don't even know it. Money is their God and woah be to he that tries to take their God away from them. I'm not a christian, but I would gladly give an extra 10 percent in taxes if no one in America went without healthcare. Can most christians say that? Christ would...Someone recently told me "I'll leave Jesus out of it"...it seems she has.
By solidifying corporate personhood, the SCOTUS is pushing this country (further) in the wrong direction. Corporate personhood should be drastically reduced or even eliminated. If we could get that, along with publicly-funded elections and maybe even another strong political party or two, we would have a much fairer and efficient republic. I would consider acquiring any one of these in my lifetime as a blessing.
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