After SPIN! Video - 11/16/14 - "Will anything be done to change the Citizens United decision?"
Published November 18, 2014
After SPIN! Video - 11/16/14 - Question to Bob Orr - "The U.S. Senate election cost $38.48 per vote, with more than $111 spent on the campaign. Ever since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision folks have been worried about increasing influence of big money on elections. The Court essentially tossed the issue back to Congress, urging them to pass new campaign finance laws but that hasn’t happened and doesn’t seem likely. How big a problem is it and do you see any chance the Supreme Court might reopen this issue?"
November 18, 2014 at 11:34 am
Richard Bunce says:
Will anything be done to water down the citizens First Amendment protections from government absue? I hope not.
Persons do not lose their First Amendment speech protections when speaking in a for profit corporate structure using corporate resources just as persons do not lose their First Amendment press protections when speaking in a for profit corporate structure using corporate resources. I mention for profit corporations as the law the Supreme Court struck down in Citizen's United applied only within for profit corporations, persons in not for profit corporations free to advocate political positions before USSC CU ruling, taking the corporatness argument off the table. There is no reason to assume that $111M made any difference in that US Senate election and certainly nobody was paid out of that money for their vote... now Senator Hagan promising large groups of voters government benefits and services to be paid for by other smaller groups of voters IS a money in campaigns issue.
November 20, 2014 at 4:02 pm
Frank Burns says:
I find it odd that the left considers corporate donations bad but unions and advocacy group donations are good. What's with that? There are more non profit organizations around now (more common than pig tracks in eastern NC) that are so narrow focused on the their issues, Democracy is harmed as nobody stands up for the middle class. Some non profit groups attempt to disguise their bias towards left wing causes by self proclaiming themselves to be non partisan. Democracy NC is one that comes to mind on that front. It's really quite remarkable that there are so many people earning a living while spewing their own brand of poison.
