Not enough has been said about how influential the Citizens United Supreme Court decision will be. What’s happened is that the Supreme Court sided with the wealthy-elite (I mean the Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Mitt Romney types) and against the interests of the American people (I mean the teachers, firefighters, customer service types).
Again, the Supreme Court has used the faulty, illegitimate doctrine of corporate personhood to justify this decision that I feel is undemocratic. Corporate Personhood is the doctrine of imbuing corporations with the rights of humans (i.e. people). This doctrine is not inconsequential. Literally hundreds, if not more, local, state and federal laws that attempt to protect our elections, safety and health, environment and right to organize have been overturned because of this decision.
Corporations can now spend unlimited money to buy our elections. The Court has legalized corporate bribery. We will only be able to choose candidates that the “smart” money has chosen. In 2008, before the Court decision, $5 billion dollars were spent. Now, the floodgates are wide open, watch out.
As Americans, we have to take ourselves seriously. We must be mindful of what is at stake and will be required to assume and democratically exercise real power. The reality is that courts have made real democracy illegal (“activist” court anyone?). We must build a broad-based multi-partisan democracy movement in the United States.
It’s time to change the rules.
Nancy Carpenter is an acctivist with Occupy Charlottesville.
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