Supreme Court lifts limits on corporate campaign donations

[Mesden]

There's always assassination.

[Wigmund]

I'm hoping for a plane crash involving Scalia and Thomas after one of their golfing trips. Preferably landing on Dick Cheney.



Only good thing is that this seems to have lit a fire under the asses of the Democrats and Obama to counter the Supreme Court on this. Maybe they can find their balls and spines to do this. Maybe this decision and the Massachusetts Senate election was what was needed to accomplish this. I'd have hope, but that's been shattered too much in the past ten years.

[Bob The Mercenary]

Won't this also lift limits on unions? Even so, I can't imagine that offsetting corporate donationsbuyouts.

[Solid Snake]

In other news, with the pharmaceutical companies now even more empowered to prevent Health Care legislation from ever being passed by paying for incumbent official's re-election campaigns, I highly doubt we'll ever have a chance to reform the Health Care system like the Obama Administration had last year.

While it's easy to blame the Republicans -- and they certainly will profit the most from this ludicrous decision -- it's worth noting that the Democrats had their perfect chance last year and instead they spent the whole damn time bickering and now they've shot themselves in the foot.
I have a feeling that this could very well suck the wind right out of the sails of the progressive movement. Think of how much effort went into electing Obama only to have the last two days happen. I've spoken to at least two friends today who played roles in helping Obama get elected -- one in particular is a diehard liberal Democrat, the type who busted his ass off as an intern for the Obama campaign for eighteen months prior to Obama's election -- and he's like a dead man. He can't hide his despair. It's sad to witness. And with 59 senators the Democrats think Health Care Reform legislation is dead? It's no wonder liberals are turning on the Obama Administration -- and as the circular firing squad gets ready to unleash hell, the Republicans may well find a way to capitalize.

[Wigmund]

I wonder how easy it will be for a shareholder or shareholders to sue a corporation they hold stock in if that corporation is using their money to campaign for something they dislike?

[POS Industries]

Originally Posted by Mesden

There's always assassination.

It has to be right for the country! I mean, you can't spell "assassination" without "nation"!

Also "ass." Twice.

[Chipper173]

Originally Posted by Bob the Mercenary

Won't this also lift limits on unions? Even so, I can't imagine that offsetting corporate donationsbuyouts.

Yes, and yes.

Originally Posted by Wigmund

I'm hoping for a plane crash involving Scalia and Thomas after one of their golfing trips. Preferably landing on Dick Cheney.



Only good thing is that this seems to have lit a fire under the asses of the Democrats and Obama to counter the Supreme Court on this. Maybe they can find their balls and spines to do this. Maybe this decision and the Massachusetts Senate election was what was needed to accomplish this. I'd have hope, but that's been shattered too much in the past ten years.

Yeah, the one good thing is that Obama seems pissed and ready to fight it. Dunno how effective he'll be, especially considering a democratic supermajority couldn't do jack for him when a fairly evenly split congress let Bush do whatever the hell he felt like.

(I am saying that in addition to being impotent, bickering do-nothings, the democrats are mostly practically on the right anyway)

Originally Posted by Donomni

On another note, Wal-Mart could literally turn into Buy-N-Large, now. :/

Yes, literally this.

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

...I think actually going to law school and understanding the legal and socio-political significance of this will prevent me from a conservative candidate ever again.
Why didn't I just remain in blissful ignorance? It was kind of fun to have been a kneejerk Republican, way back when. The world was a simpler place! The Republicans loved our country and the Democrats were misguided socialists!

For the last time Supreme Court, Corporations are Not Individuals, We Need to Stop Treating Them as if They Were Individuals, IT IS CORRUPTING OUR SOCIETY ARGH THIS IS SHUTE V. CARNIVAL CRUISE ALL OVER AGAIN

I remember you posting fairly standard right-wing opinions in here on one of my previous yearly visits here. Good to see you're coming around.

Originally Posted by Mesden

There's always assassination.

Just gonna toss this in too.

[01d55]

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

it's worth noting that the Democrats had their perfect chance last year and instead they spent the whole damn time bickering and now they've shot themselves in the foot.

How? None of of those "centrist" assholes are anywhere near a dangerous primary challenge. And even if they were, even if they did lose their seats, they're still rich. Every Senator is set for life.

I have a feeling that this could very well suck the wind right out of the sails of the progressive movement. Think of how much effort went into electing Obama only to have the last two days happen. I've spoken to at least two friends today who played roles in helping Obama get elected -- one in particular is a diehard liberal Democrat, the type who busted his ass off as an intern for the Obama campaign for eighteen months prior to Obama's election -- and he's like a dead man. He can't hide his despair. It's sad to witness.

That's exactly what the Democratic party is supposed to do. It is their vocation, their calling. That's why the elite executive class funds their campaigns - to ensure that only the crud of the crop rises to the top of the structure, where they can frustrate their ostensible constituents. And after the voters become more disgusted with their losing than afraid of the Republicans' crazy? They are all set for life.

Losing Kennedy's seat in Mass. so that they can fail to pass a bill with a 18 vote majority, after Lieberman turned it into the shittiest possible bill that could be called "reform" with a straight face? Just. As. Planned. Every Democrat involved is going to die rich and happy, in a hospital, with the best goddamn healthcare money can buy. All of their kids are going to college, without taking loans. And so on. They got theirs, jack.

[Solid Snake]

I have to confess that, given the sheer statistical probability of a high number of fully competent, capable progressive liberal Democrats in Massachusetts to run for higher office, the fact that Coakley of all people was chosen as Kennedy's successor pretty strongly establishes the possibility that pharmaceutical companies bought the Dems off.

"Hey guys, we really need to stop this healthcare reform bullshit before it costs us more money. Yeah, we know, we already got Lieberman to torpedo the thing, but we don't even like the new version with all its compromises. Can you do us a favor and screw yourselves over by nominating the least intelligent member of your party? And then national Democratic advisory committee folks, don't make Obama any recommendations to campaign there until it's too late. 'Kay thanks!"

The irony given Kennedy's championing of Healthcare Reform is that apparently now his very senate seat is the seat that will result in the reform movement dying. That's what I don't get! The Democrats have such a strong narrative to attach to passing this HCR bill. And they still have an eighteen vote majority! Why the fuck are they just giving up? They should be fighting harder than ever to make sure this passes through so Kennedy doesn't toss and turn in his grave and so all their hard work over the past year is rewarded! That way the progressives feel like they've accomplished something, the American people will at least respect (if not unanimously agree with) the Democrats for sticking to their guns and fulfilling their promises, and....

UGH!!! 0d1 is right! It's like they really wanted to give up all along!

I want to go back to being a conservative again, like I was a few years ago! Back then I might have dead wrong, but at least the Republican party was devious and intelligent and downright efficient in their evils! It's almost better to be led by an Honest Devil than by a bunch of either A: dumb-as-bricks politicians with collective IQs below 70 OR B: liars who've outright betrayed the wishes of their own diehard constituents.

EDIT: Attention Obama: Politically speaking, switching gears haphazardly to the financial crisis after Brown's election was the stupidest thing you could possibly do in the history of stupid things for two very significant reasons:

1: You've lost tremendous political capital by conceding the HCR fight: now the banks are barely going to sweat over your provocative speeches, as you've already failed once. If the pharmaceutical companies can beat you to a pulp, why would banks be afraid?

2: Even if you somehow accomplish the impossible and pass legislation through the House and Senate to regulate banks, guess what?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/bu...er=rss&emc=rss
http://www.businessinsider.com/obama...utional-2010-1

...You see, as a law school student I gotta confess one thing: Banks and their legions of lawyers are smart.
They'll let Obama run amok with his plans to regulate banks through executive agency statutes and laws passed through the House and Senate.
Why should they sweat? So long as they have the Supreme Court, any excessive regulation on the banking industry, including additional taxation, will be struck down as unconstitutional.
It's brilliant. Brilliant! Through labeling any additional taxation levied upon banks as "Bills of Attainer", the Supreme Court can prevent banks from paying much of anything to the government.

...I just don't know how Obama, after throwing up a white flag to the pharmaceutical industry, can dare believe he has a chance in hell against the one industry with arguably better legal teams at their disposal. If the banks were demoralized a while back -- and they certainly would be demoralized now if HCR passed and Obama had political capital -- they're certainly doing much better today.

EDIT2: What Obama needs to do instead is concentrate on issues where the Supreme Court cannot overrule him -- he needs to concentrate on building some momentum with issues under the strict purview of the executive branch. Hey Obama, here's an idea: make your Constituents happy by closing down Gitmo, reforming our intelligence agencies and preventing gratuitous torture practices, or by bringing troops home from Iraq! The Supreme Court can't fuck those up for you. The military and foreign policy matters are more exclusively the President's turf. Also, pass your goddamn health reform. Then you could have the political capital to make the banks squirm.

[Chipper173]

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

I have to confess that, given the sheer statistical probability of a high number of fully competent, capable progressive liberal Democrats in Massachusetts to run for higher office, the fact that Coakley of all people was chosen as Kennedy's successor pretty strongly establishes the possibility that pharmaceutical companies bought the Dems off.

Despite being the guy who posted this thread and all, I actually don't think this was the case. Coakley ran a pretty terrible campaign, all things considered. The fact that she was the democrats' successor is more evident of the sorry state of the party rather than any kind of bribery; it's a textbook example of taking your voting base for granted. I mean, she spelled Massachusetts wrong in an ad. She spelled the name of the state she was going to represent incorrectly. Plus Brown ran a competent campaign in the face of her disaster. Massachusetts is a super liberal state, but it just goes to show that a solid presentation is important, even when the message might conflict with your views.