Supreme Court Stifles American Voice
Abraham Lincoln declared in his Gettysburg Address that we would have a democracy “of the people, by the people, for the people.” The Supreme Court has ruled otherwise.
On Thursday, Jan. 24, the Supreme Court overturned two rulings in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission: Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce (1990) and McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (2003).
Austin v. Michigan maintained restrictions on corporate spending on supporting or opposing political candidates. Similarly, McConnell v. Federal Election supported the restricted campaign spending section of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 banned the broadcast, cable or satellite transmission of advertisements paid for by corporations or labor unions from their general funds in the 30 days before a presidential primary and in the 60 days before the general elections which would be considered racketeering.
In 2008, a film made by Citizens United called “Hillary: The Movie,” showed Hillary Clinton in a derisive light. The group, because of the law, lost a case to the Federal Election Committee, and so the film was only shown in a few theatres rather than on cable and satellite programs. The issue resurfaced and was brought before the Supreme Court. In a 5-4 majority, the Supreme Court made its decision, with Justice Anthony Kennedy citing the First Amendment as support for the ruling that overturned restrictions on corporate spending and campaign adds as provided in the Bipartisan Reform Act.
Freedom of Speech is one of the most important rights of this country. Criticism promotes change and has helped build the foundation for our country.
We see this come election time. We all saw the Norm Coleman and Al Franken advertisements and commercials last year, making arguments for themselves as to who would be the better senator by showing the other in unfavorable light. Smear campaigning has been a persuasive method in politics for a long time.
Fine. Yet, why is it necessary to have these going during campaign? We want to know what each candidate plans to do, not what the opposition claims they will do because of previous “mistakes.” It takes away from the real issues at hand, dragging us into making assumptions and judgments based on another’s greed and anger. We want to fuel the fire for change, not be a vehicle for hate.
We have dealt with these commercials before and as long as we remember to keep facts straights and use logic to make our decisions, things will go on as they always have. The more problematic condition of the ruling is the unlimited funds that are now allowed to be given to candidates.
Corporations are made up of people, though this does not mean they have the people’s interests in mind, or for that matter, try to represent them. Corporations are not people. And because of this ruling, they are taking away the voice of the people.
I find it ironic that the group that started this all, Citizens United, advertises themselves as “an organization dedicated to restoring our government to citizens’ control,” and yet, the decision made makes it legal for our government, or at least candidates running for government, to be controlled by corporations.
There is a fair chance that candidates will do what a corporation wants to receive money to fund their campaigns. This law has virtually legalized bribery.
Candidates might now focus on the goals of corporations, not the needs of the people, in order to obtain finances. This dispels the need to go out, speak to the people, help grassroots movements. This promotion of special treatment will cast candidates in unfavorable light. They could lose votes of the people, trying to obtain the favor and support of the corporations. They could also lose the respect and support of the citizens that they would be failing to represent.
As President Obama put it in his State of the Union Address on Wednesday, Jan. 27, “I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people. And I’d urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems.”
