Our political Quote of the Day comes from journalist/blogger Rick Heller who looks at the recent Supreme Court ruling on campaign spending and corporations in a post on The New Humanism blog that must be read in full.
Here are a few key parts of it:
So the Court, in fact, decided that to distinguish between human beings and corporations was discriminatory and unconstitutional. Corporations are essentially granted the rights of individuals, even though unlike individuals, they’re only mandate is to seek profit and not to act as citizens of a democracy (it’s not clear to me, but I think the ruling means that foreign corporations are also free to spend unlimited funds on U.S. political races).
Not being a lawyer, I can’t really speak authoritatively to the Court’s legal logic. However, it does seem to me that the instinct to read literally from texts is a reflection of a religious mode of thinking–as if God himself guided the hand of Thomas Jefferson as he wrote the text of the First Amendment.
We secular people are more attuned to the idea that rules are not infallible, and good judgment is needed when to apply them.
And some of the ending:
…While corporations have their uses, they are legal fictions, not human beings.
I think this is an issue that should unite liberals and conservatives. While certain political operatives may be salivating at the prospect of corporate spending in support of their candidates, the likely result of this ruling, if it cannot be altered through legislation, which is questionable, is that governments will be increasingly run for the benefit of corporations and use their taxing power to raise funds to pay for contracts to said corporations. This will undermine both liberal hopes for more equality and conservative hopes for a less costly government.
UPDATE: MSNBC’s First Read has this item that fits in with Heller’s post:
A changed political world: Yesterday, GOP lawyer Ben Ginsberg distributed a fascinating analysis of what the Supreme Court’s big campaign-finance decision means. One, he said, it’s going to place political candidates at a significant disadvantage to corporations and organized labor. “Controlling the issues they want to run on will become a real challenge, as will having sufficient funds to portray their positions and images.” Two, it could lead to the extinction of America’s political parties. “With the limits on the amounts and sources of funds they can accept, the parties will be bit players compared to outside groups that can now conduct those core functions with unlimited funds from any source.” Three, it’s going to benefit wealthy individuals, “leading to a number of new outlets who can carry the messages that these donors have wanted carried.” Four, it will render 527s obsolete. And five, it’s going to be good for the ad-makers and TV networks. By the way, Ginsberg (and also Rep. Barney Frank) will appear on MSNBC’s “Daily Rundown” beginning at 9:00 am ET.
Now go the link above and read it in full from beginning to end.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.