We were asleep at the wheel jumping for every shiny object when we knew deep down there was no way in hell the US was gonna survive that fucking decision. What were we thinking?
Good point. Have not thought of that, but I know Citizens United was a travesty of justice and we are all learning, too late, how millions and billions of dollars controls our government. Ugh!
100 percent agree! Bad and foreign actors having lots of ways to fund and hence influence campaigns and politics is a big part of what led here. And citizens united is the result of the Fed Society and Bush V Gore
I remember how shocking it was, to watch the sitting president dress down SCOTUS, who sat 10 feet away, for their CU decision. Obama knew where it might lead.
Here’s my question: why did Democrats let Republicans take over the courts? There is absolutely nothing in the constitution about having 9 justices. Biden could have fixed this, but he decided to be polite and respect “norms and traditions.”
I think the insurance and multi-billion companies should be treated as people under Citizens United and charged with terrorism against their customers. And throw in the 8th amendment to boot
EXACTLY. If Trump screws up badly enough maybe we can get a constitutional amendment to rewrite freedom of speech so corporations can't spend unlimited money campaigning.
I’m torn on it myself because in principle it makes sense — gradually we could build up enough in Congress to end dark money. But in practical terms - in real life at this moment - Dems have to use whatever we can now to defend democracy. We have to fight fire with fire or there will be nothing left
Citizens United was the change that handed the keys to control of the government over to corporate leaders and billionaires. Corporate money should never have been allowed into politics and there should be limits on how much individual donors can give.
And Justice Roberts insisted at the time it wouldn't make a difference at all. He sounded completely sincere even though it was blatantly obvious it was opening the flood gates of money into politics.
I think analyzing root causes will always be useful. even if the US escapes the Trump era, citizens United just guarantees something like it will happen again. Systems matter
John Roberts is the author of our dictatorship. In a more alert world, people would be preparing to tar and feather him and drag him through the streets on the way to the penitentiary.
This is so true. Citizens United was the beginning of the collapse of the Roberts court as it invited politics into the law. Roberts can be blamed for many things but he will be forever identified with this hateful decision that has so poisoned politics in America.
Is anyone aware of any groups or movements to add an amendment to the Constitution regarding money in politics? Or if there is an existing group pushing for it?
That was the point of Citizens United, to destroy any influence citizens have on running the oligarchs' country. John Roberts and his fellow crooks scored a home run.
RBG said it would go down in history as the worst Supreme Court decision ever. Of course, after that, this corrupt POS Supreme Court said hold my beer.
I think every democrat predicted this at the time. I think Biden was unwinding Citizens United. I think corporate media was involved in getting rid of Biden because he would have succeeded if he and Harris had been given the four more years they deserved. I think we told New Democrats all of this.
Citizens United was the start of the cancer of dark money in politics infecting democracy. The cancer has now reached stage 4 and predictably, the organs are starting to fail.
No, it's when they decided that the First Amendment somehow means corporations can spend unlimited money on politics. The decision wasn't really about corporate personhood (a legal concept going back to the 1800s, which has never meant that corporations have the same rights as humans).
Yes, I agree with that. Citizens United continues to give corporations free rein to bribe politicians, undermine safety programs ,and deregulate their industries: among god knows what else hidden from citizens
Citizens United was a terrible decision. Corporations may hold property, but Corporations do not vote and should not be able to buy elections (or politicians).
The claim that corporations are people was patently absurd, and belied any pretense of originalism by the conservative justices.
Corporations explicitly shield their owners (the actual “people”) from liability. The corporation creates a partial wall between the business and the people who own it.
A lawyers’ first advise to anyone wanting to start a business is to incorporate and do business as the corporation, to protect their personal assets. The corporation is not the person.
Even with all the evidence available, U.S. voted to die younger and have bad teeth by destroying Obamacare/ Medicare, and removing fluoride from drinking water.
The ones buying the microphone can be found at the https://FoundersFund.com and other companies they fund. #FollowTheMoney #Thiel #Musk #Trump #Resist #PunchNazis
Well it was Citizens United AND Shelby County. Taking away finance safeguards and gutting the Voting Rights Act around the same time really fractured our democracy.
But at the end of the day, the decision was right. The case was literally about whether the government could prohibit the showing of a movie critical of a presidential candidate within 60 days before an election. How can we have a free society when the government can restrict that speech?
Before Citizens United, the limit one could donate to a political candidate was $2000.00. Musk donated $290,000,000 to buy Trump's presidency. This is why we are where we are.
One of the things that pisses me off THE MOST is that ACLU supports Citizens United. It was the most selfish, corrupt thing I've ever seen a progressive group do.
It’s not. Started watching Angels in America just for its stellar cast. Almost vomited when a segment showed Roy Cohn and one of his cronies listing off how a conservative takeover would happen by the 1990s. Took a little longer, but here we are.
Mitch could have easily whipped up the 10 Republican votes necessary to convict Trump in the Senate and bar him permanently fro office. And he didn’t even though he knew Trump was guilty. It makes my head explode.
You never really had institutional safeguards, because you concentrated too much power in the hands of the president, who can just override everything without any consequences.
That's actually not true. Presidents can not simply override the will of the people. The problem is ultimately election tampering to get a trifecta of control on Capitol Hill. There would have to be a 2/3 majority to reverse a veto or impeach the president. We don't have that.
My dog could have told you that, it's really not a great mental feat.
The fact that it passed without the supreme court being lynched on the spot tells you something about the fascist leanings (or abject stupidity) of people at the time.
One of the original sins of our political collapse. And Roberts wonders why we hate them. They facilitated the complete ownership of our government by corporations. We need a clean slate.
Funding private schooling
Deregulation
Slashing the social safety net
The post office
Pardoning Nixon & Agnew's plea deal
The hiring "conservatives" to appoint judges to rule on Citizen's United
This is what we need to focus on. Passing a repeal of Citizens United a the state level. If we ever get another fair election again, we're going to need to have that passed at the state level going into it.
We have to go farther. Rich people cannot be allowed in politics at all. Over 10m$ in assets? Can’t run for office, can’t vote, can’t speak to anyone in office, can’t write about politics, can’t send a go-between, can’t issue press releases from your companies… all enforced by gun
I got so depressed after Citizens United. The writing was on the wall and most people couldn't see it.
Also: if Bush couldn't steal the 2000 election, there would be no Citizens United. The conservatives have been plotting democracy's downfall since Nixon, and their judges were a major weapon.
Never forget how they were triggered by FDR in 1933:
"The nation’s wealthiest men--Republicans and Democrats alike--were so threatened by FDR’s policies [to help ordinary Americans] that they conspired with antigovernment paramilitarism to stage a coup."
Koch bros have been on the move, plotting their course and implementing the infrastructure for their takeover, full-steam since the 1980s, possibly 1970s.
Technically since the 1930s. They, their dad, and their teachers were all rabid Libertarian anti-New-Dealers. They hated everything about ameliorating the Great Depression. They have a deep sadistic kink.
Ethical kink, yes agreed, but that's a very recent concept. Plenty of people have a kink for non-consent. And traditionally those have been the definition.
I get what you are saying but don't let the fascists decide what words mean. Its where a good portion of their power comes from. Stealing words, symbols, phrases and defining them into the enemy.
I am w you. I am starting to go back to basics and read the books. Sheldon Whitehouse book on SC. Jane Mayer-dark money. And I am going to hammer the criminality of Felin Musk. At this point, we need other countries to condemn him and bring charges where necessary on their side of whatever pond.!
Well who could have predicted that letting corporations donate unlimited funds (as a proxy for “free speech”) to politicians would lead to anything bad for democracy? A completely unexpected outcome…
Because those of us opposed to it knew it would lead to this. Just once, I'd like to actually be wrong about these things. Hasn't happened yet. We tired to warn people.
I still want to know why if corporations are indeed people should they not be liable for prosecution for murder and executed upon conviction? Seems pretty straightforward but then I think the 2nd Amendment tying gun ownership to militia participation is straightforward too.
Absolutely. I thought the court was hitting the crack pipe when they came out with that decision. Now that I know they are blowing billionaires, I understand they were doing what billionaires wanted
It's crazy how no one is talking about Citizens United, nor Biden's failure to really try to move things in a better direction with SCOTUS. At least try to...term limits, expansion.....
Comments
Alito shook his head “no”.
The Heritage Foundation
Citizens United
The Federalist Society
https://youtu.be/PKZKETizybw
It wasn’t an accident.
It was the plan.
Don’t forget the man who brought it to the court.
Greed is limitless, this was a completely obvious foregone conclusion.
https://bsky.app/profile/adelpreore.bsky.social/post/3lh7eytcfdc2m
He’s the architect.
This is conservative think tank overlap.
Corporations explicitly shield their owners (the actual “people”) from liability. The corporation creates a partial wall between the business and the people who own it.
#CitizensUnited #DemocracyForSale #FollowTheMoney
And corporations and countries have a lot more speech than people.
And all that unlimited speech gets to be anonymous and consequence free for speakers anywhere in the world.
What could go wrong?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC
https://youtu.be/PKZKETizybw
I remember that
I've been left of Keith for 20+years of voting, and remember my peers making fun of him...
... But wow, it's more true today than it was under Biden... And so on and so forth.
My dog could have told you that, it's really not a great mental feat.
The fact that it passed without the supreme court being lynched on the spot tells you something about the fascist leanings (or abject stupidity) of people at the time.
What they don't realize is, they can't wall off ALL THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS and those pesky 'little people' can come RIGHT UP TO THEIR DOOR.
Think about that folks.
Funding private schooling
Deregulation
Slashing the social safety net
The post office
Pardoning Nixon & Agnew's plea deal
The hiring "conservatives" to appoint judges to rule on Citizen's United
Blame the Voters
*even when they're your grandparents*
1. Prosecute them all.
2. Change the constitution to get money out of politics.
And - amazingly - most Americans now don't even *know* what Citizens United is.
Whoever said, "Ignorance is bliss", must have been an oligarch.
F that guy.
Also: if Bush couldn't steal the 2000 election, there would be no Citizens United. The conservatives have been plotting democracy's downfall since Nixon, and their judges were a major weapon.
Send you thank you card to this ghoul.
"The nation’s wealthiest men--Republicans and Democrats alike--were so threatened by FDR’s policies [to help ordinary Americans] that they conspired with antigovernment paramilitarism to stage a coup."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/11/trump-fdr-roosevelt-coup-attempt-1930s
https://bsky.app/profile/rudell.bsky.social/post/3lh5kodmyjc2z
Follow the money money money.