IN AN ERA DEFINED BY
CORPORATIONS.
>>I RECENTLY EXPLORED HOW
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY HAS EVOLVED
IN A POST CITIZENS UNITED
AMERICA. TAKE A LOOK.
OUR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC IN ITS
SIMPLEST FORM IS FUELED BY
CHOICE CHOICE OF THE VOTERS
LIKE YOU AND ME. BUT AFTER 2010
SUPREME COURT DECISION CITIZENS
UNITED VERSUS THE FEDERAL
ELECTIONS COMMISSION AMERICAN
DEMOCRACY AT LEAST THE WAY IT'S
FUNDED
WAS CHANGED FOREVER. THE
HISTORY OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE
LAWS GOES BACK A LONG
TIME BUT FOR OUR PURPOSES,
LET'S BEGIN WITH 2002 WITH THE
PASSAGE OF THE BIPARTISAN
CAMPAIGN REFORM ACT BETTER
KNOWN AS THE MCCAIN FEINGOLD
ACT
NAMED AFTER THESE 2 GUYS.
MCCAIN FEINGOLD CHANGED A LOT
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO
KNOW IS THAT IMPOSED HUGE
REGULATIONS ON
HOW CAMPAIGNS COULD BE FUNDED.
THE LAW ALSO MADE IT SO
CANDIDATES HAD TO STAND BY THE
RATS, I'M JOE BIDEN AND I
APPROVE THIS MESSAGE.
>>WE ON CASTRO
AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE AND
WAS CONSIDERED THE MOST
COMPREHENSIVE ELECTION REFORM
MEASURE IN DECADES, SOUNDS
PRETTY GOOD RIGHT. WELL,
IT WOULDN'T LAST LONG. 2008
THEN SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON
WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT AND A
GROUP HERE IN WASHINGTON
CALLING THEMSELVES CITIZENS
UNITED MADE A DOCUMENTARY.
HILLARY THE MOVIE. THE
FILMMAKERS TRIED TO PAY COMCAST
CABLE A MILLION DOLLARS TO MAKE
THE
MOVIE AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE ON
DEMAND. BUT THEY HAD ONE BIG
PROBLEM REMEMBER THESE GUYS
SECTION 2 O 3 OF MCCAIN
FEINGOLD STRICTLY PROHIBITED
ANYTHING CALLED ELECTIONEERING
COMMUNICATION THAT MEANS
ANYTHING NEWS FOR BROADCAST
THAT MENTIONED A CANDIDATE
WITHIN 2 MONTHS OF A GENERAL
ELECTION OR ONE MONTH OF A
PRIMARY WAS NOT ALLOWED IF IT
WAS FUNDED BY CORPORATIONS OR
BY UNIONS AND THAT'S THE KEY
DISTINCTION UNDERSTAND ABOUT
MCCAIN FEINGOLD UNLIMITED
CORPORATION FUNDING WAS NOT
ALLOWED. THE GROUP BEHIND THE
FILMMAKERS FILED A LAWSUIT AND
IN SHORT EVENTUALLY WHEN ALL
THE WAY TO THE SUPREME COURT IN
A 5, 4, DECISION ON 1/21/2010
THE JUSTICES RULED IN FAVOR OF
THE ANTI CLINTON ADVOCACY GROUP
AND AGAINST THE US GOVERNMENT
DURING ARGUMENTS THE LAWYERS
FOR CITIZENS UNITED FAMOUSLY
ASKED WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH
CORPORATIONS ARE THEY
INHERENTLY EVIL CORPORATIONS
JUST AS MUCH AS INDIVIDUALS ARE
ENTITLED TO PROTECTION UNDER
THE FIRST AMENDMENT IN THE
MAJORITY DECISION JUSTICE
ANTHONY KENNEDY RULED THAT
BLOCKING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
FROM CORPORATIONS OR UNIONS WAS
UNFAIR ON THE GROUNDS OF THE
FIRST AMENDMENT IN OTHER WORDS,
A LOT OF WHAT JOHN MCCAIN AND
RUSS FEINGOLD DID BACK IN 2002
WAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
KENNEDY WROTE ABOUT HIS
CONCERNS WITH AN ALL POWERFUL
GOVERNMENT. THE CENSORSHIP.
WE NOW CONFRONT IS VAST IN ITS
REACH THE GOVERNMENT COULD
REPRESS SPEECH BY SILENCING
CERTAIN VOICES AT ANY OF THE
VARIOUS POINTS IN THE SPEECH
PROCESS. BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE
JUSTICE JOHN PAUL STEVENS WROTE
THIS FOR THE DESCENT,
THE COURT'S RULING THREATENS TO
UNDERMINE THE INTEGRITY OF
ELECTED INSTITUTIONS AROUND THE
NATION AS YOU CAN IMAGINE
DEMOCRATS WERE NOT EXACTLY
THRILLED.
>>THIS RULING OPENS THE
FLOODGATES FOR UNLIMITED AMOUNT
OF SPECIAL INTEREST MONEY INTO
OUR DEMOCRACY. IT GIVES THE
SPECIAL INTEREST LOBBYISTS NEW
LEVERAGE TO SPEND MILLIONS ON
ADVERTISING TO PERSUADE ELECTED
OFFICIALS TO VOTE THEIR WAY OR
TO PUNISH THOSE WHO DON'T THAT
MEANS THAT ANY PUBLIC SERVANT
WHO HAS THE COURAGE TO STAND UP
TO THE SPECIAL INTERESTS AND
STAND UP FOR THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
THE ROBERTS COURT HAS TURNED
BACK THE CLOCK ON OUR
DEMOCRACY BY OVER A CENTURY.
>>THIS DISASTROUS DECISION
PAVES THE WAY FOR FREE AND
UNLIMITED
SPECIAL INTEREST SPENDING IN
OUR ELECTIONS.
>>BUT PERHAPS NO ONE WAS MORE
UPSET THAN THE LATE ARIZONA
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN WHO HELPED
NAVIGATE MODERN ELECTION
REFORM.
>>IS IT JUST INEVITABLE THAT
WE'RE NOW IN A PERIOD WHERE
MONEY IS GOING TO BE PLAYING
THIS
DOMINANT ROLE IN AMERICAN
POLITICS.
>>I'M AFRAID AT LEAST FOR THE
TIME BEING THAT'S GOING TO BE
THE CASE BECAUSE OF THE MOST
MISGUIDED NAIVE UNINFORMED
GREECE JUST DECISION OF THE
UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT I
THINK IN THE 21TH CENTURY.
TO SOMEHOW VIEW MONEY IS NOT
HAVING AN EFFECT ON ELECTION A
CORRUPTING INFECTION EFFECT ON
ELECTION FLIES IN THE FACE OF
REALITY. I
JUST WISH ONE OF THEM HAD RUN
FOR COUNTY SHERIFF.
>>CITIZENS UNITED IS REALLY NOT
DESPITE A LOT OF MISCONCEPTION
A RULING ABOUT CORPORATIONS
BEING PEOPLE OR ANALYST
GREEDY MONEY IS THE SAME AS
FREE SPEECH AT HIS LEGAL COURT
ABOUT LIMITING THE POWER OF
GOVERNMENT AND OVERTURNING
PREVIOUS LAWS AND NOT JUST
MCCAIN FEINGOLD, BUT MANY
OTHERS AS WELL. SO
WHAT HAPPENS NOW. IN THIS
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, MANY
2020 HOPEFULS ARE PLEDGING NOT
TO ACCEPT MONEY FROM PACS
OF ANY KIND AND WHILE DEMOCRATS
IN THE HOUSE PASSED A BILL THIS
YEAR THAT INVOLVED CAMPAIGN
FINANCING
IN REALITY. THERE'S PROBABLY