Political ‘speech’ has historically been given more latitude than other ‘free speech’ but only because there were some limitations. There was a mechanism of accountability: all donors had to be disclosed and the amount of their donations would be limited, thereby limiting their influence to some extent. So if you stretched the truth, shaded the truth, manipulated the truth – the people who paid for that ad would be known to the public. It would take a large number of donors to generate said political speech. There were some consequences.
For many, many years, Republicans cried that we didn’t need no stinkin’ campaign finance laws. All we needed was disclosure, which by its very nature would put common sense limits and some accountability on those donors and thereby the campaign that they supported. Where did I hear this? Let me think…….
Oh, yes. Mitch McConnell.
Any many other Republicans.
Those crazy Democrats – well, they always thought that the public would not have its interests represented if there were NO limits on political speech through money. Money would drown out the interests of the people who could in no way compete with corporate and wealthy interests. It would, in fact, be the buying of public office by interests that could afford it more than the $50,000 family of four who would have to choose between school books or ear infection medicine and donating to campaigns. But as I said, those whacky Democrats…..
Fast forward to Citizens United. Money IS speech and well, no one could anticipate that foreign money would finance campaigns (Sheldon Adelson, Barclay’s Bank………) And certainly no one could ever anticipate that corporate money would drown out the interests of the millions of Americans who could not compete with that money. Why, that would be…….crazy.
Here we are. 2012. Mitch McConnell actually said with a straight face (and that may be the straightest face I’ve ever seen on a human being) that IF we demanded disclosure, well, the Koch Bros. might lose business because their customers wouldn’t like what they were advocating.
Someone in polyester elastic waist pants might actually decide to donate $50 to PBO rather than hand it over – I mean, gamble – it away in a Sheldon Adelson casino. Oh, the HORROR. It might hurt their bottom line if the American people saw how every package of Angel Soft was helping to elect Mitt Romney (God forbid). Or every Brawny towel or quarter slot machine might be buying the end of Medicare as we know it, dirty air, no clean energy, no safe food, no safe medications, no health care, no safety net, no investment in infrastructure. But we certainly wouldn’t want to have the Koch Bros. – or Bain Capital — damaged in any way by the TRUTH. Why, that would be anti-capitalism. That would be anti-rich. That would be anti-entitlement. In the truest sense of the word.
To review: unfettered money flowing to political campaigns/PAC’s could be controlled with disclosure. But not one Republican – I’m talking to YOU, John McCain – voted FOR disclosure. Now we have unfettered money — oh, I’m sorry Justice Kennedy, I mean ‘free’ speech – with no controls, no disclosures. Just money - able to lie and cheat and steal and buy our government. Thank you so much, you libertarian piece of crap. Your legacy of ‘freedom’ has now denied millions of Americans the right to an honest, informed election. Are you proud?
Money to LIE.
Which brings me to my point: no longer should political ‘speech’ be exempt from libel or slander laws. Political speech should now be held subject to any and all laws that are on the books to protect the public interest from disinformation. Drug companies aren’t allowed to do it, food manufacturers aren’t allowed to do it. Why should political campaigns and affiliated PAC’s be able to do it?
You manipulate PBO’s statements? You have now broken the law. You cut out what he said to make it sound like he said the opposite? You get your ass sued with an injunction slapped on your ass. And since the airwaves are given to networks as a courtesy, they are REQUIRED to pull such ads.
You want to spend unlimited amounts of money? You don’t want to disclose WHO is spending that money? Then you tell the effing TRUTH or you don’t get access to so much as a used piece of newsprint, much less the networks to spread your lies.
You can’t lie about Angel Soft. You should not be able to lie about PBO.
I await your comments.
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