Yesterday concluded the first election in which the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United was in full play. Corporate fat cats bellied up to the bar and picked up the tab for hundreds of millions in “independent expenditures” to elect and defeat various politicians. For all the money that flowed, the pompous autocrats of industry and casino wealth will, this morning, eat the warmed over bar food known as crow.
Their money, and the money of their stockholders, fell wasted into a black abyss. It paid no dividends. It produced neither wealth nor jobs. There was no return on investment. It appears to have impacted no election of significance. This time!
But,remember those last two words, “this time.” There are two parts to using Citizens United to corrupt the American political system. Part one is stuffing the coffers with untold cash. That part the would be American aristocracy has figured out. Part two is learning how to spend it to achieve the goal of assuming despotic power. That part they have not yet learned. But they will learn it quickly, perhaps as quickly as the next election.
This time the would be despots ran into a skilled incumbent, an October surprise named Sandy and the difficulties that attend flawed products with names like Akin and Mourdock and Romney. Their advertising blitz and attempts to dissuade voters from casting their ballots fell in defeat to a ground game for which they had no answer. They will have an answer next time. Count on it. Whatever these fat cats are, they are not stupid, and they will stop in their quest to wrest power unto themselves from the American people.
Next time they will spend their excess to build a ground game to go with their advertising Goliath. And they will claim that building networks on the ground to propel their supporters to vote while suppressing the votes of the poor, those of color, the disfavored ethnicities, and the disadvantaged is “speech” just as they claim that any expenditure of money is “speech.”
Be aware. Today the score is Citizens 1 – Citizens United 0. But this is just the first round.
Contributor, aka tidbits. Retired attorney in complex litigation, death penalty defense and constitutional law. Former Nat’l Board Chair: Alzheimer’s Association. Served on multiple political campaigns, including two for U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR). Contributing author to three legal books and multiple legal publications.