Soon The Supreme Court Will Destroy America
Theres an ugly, dark cloud on the horizon. Its called Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and its headed toward the Supreme Court in September. If all goes according to corporate whore and Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts, America will be forever the slave of corporations. Democracy will be toast.
The most troubling part of the courts action is the brave new world of politics it could usher in. Auto companies that receive multibillion-dollar bailouts could spend vast sums to re-elect the same officials who hand them the money. If Exxon Mobil or Wal-Mart wants something from a member of Congress, it could threaten to spend as much as it takes to defeat him or her in the next election.
You thought our country was for sale now? You havent seen anything yet. This is the kind of shit Roberts and Alito were put on the bench for. The religious right were used by Bush to get right leaning judges on the bench unfortunately, they are not the kind of right leaning judges they were hoping for. These guys are there to do whatever big business wants them to do. Chief Justice Roberts robe should look like a NASCAR driver's suit, covered in sponsors.
In every major case since he became the nation's seventeenth Chief Justice, Roberts has sided with the prosecution over the defendant, the state over the condemned, the executive branch over the legislative, and the corporate defendant over the individual plaintiff.
By the time Roberts retires, he will have done more to destroy the America we know than any other person alive. I wish that were hyperbole. Its not. This weeks decision only proves my point.
Citizens United v. FEC started when the right wing group Citizens United made a 90 minute film about Hillary Clinton in 2008. They wanted to run it on TV stations in swing states. The FEC ruled it was not a documentary and slapped a campaign ad label on it. It then fell under McCain-Feingold spending restrictions and never aired. Citizens United sued.
The big surprise came last week, when Roberts saw an opportunity to turn Americas clock back to the good old days, when Carnegie, Vanderbilt and Rockefeller ran the country. Time for the return of the robber barons. The Roberts court didnt rule on Citizens United v. FEC. Instead, both sides were asked to return in September for a pre-session hearing on the validity of various electoral laws pertaining to the case. Uh oh.
The Supreme Court wants to hear briefs on a case from 20 years ago: Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce. Whats the big deal about Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce? Not much, except that it set restrictions on campaign contributions by corporations, unions and other organizations. Its the last thing holding corporations back from completely destroying democracy.
The court, at the very least, is considering reversing more than 100 years of campaign finance precedent prohibiting corporate spending, said Paul Ryan, associate legal counsel at the Campaign Legal Center. It would be a pretty large step, and remarkable step, for the court to overturn a century of public policy.
Shit was awesome 100 years ago. America was, as you may recall, a fantastic place of equality.
If the Supreme Court does overturn either case, the effects on political campaigns will be dramatic, said Marc Elias, a partner at Perkins Coie who served as general counsel on Sen. John Kerrys (D-Mass.) 2004 presidential campaign and who is heading legal efforts for Democrat Al Franken in the disputed Minnesota Senate contest.
The ban on corporate spending on federal elections is at the center of our current campaign finance system, he said. If that were to change it would radically alter the system that we have.
This is why Roberts and Alito were put on the bench. This is their calling. They showed their hand by clearly going out of their way to ask attorneys in Citizens United vs. FEC to prepare arguments on Austin. Its the definition of judicial activism, something the right was supposed to be so very opposed to.
The courts new order is also deeply troubling procedurally. The question of overruling Austin was so much not a part of the Hillary Clinton film case that the parties now have to brief it submit fully researched arguments to the court for the first time. This is pure judicial overreach.
So, get ready to be fucked. We are about to live in a country where politicians will do whatever corporations want because Chevron or General Electric or Dow Chemical threatened to hand their opponent millions. As if it wasnt already bad enough with lobbying, now its going to be out in the open and there will be nothing we can do to stop it.
It is a nightmare vision.
Another one you can thank George Bush for.
FearTheReaper is a writer, actor and stand up comedian. Check back each Tuesday and Friday for more from FearTheReaper You may also enjoy his blog, Stop All Monsters.
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