After
Citizens United, Conservative Undisclosed Donors
Spent 8 Times As Much As Liberal Ones In 2010
Election
 (Note:
Today's
commentary is stolen from courtesy of thinkprogress.com.
=Lefty=)
Last year, in perhaps the
most consequential Supreme Court decision in
decades, the
Supreme Court of the United States
invalidated a sixty-three year-old ban on corporate
and union money directly funding individual
candidates in federal elections. The SCOTUS
decision sent shockwaves throughout our democracy,
with many fearing that it would lead to an
overwhelming amount of corporate money flooding
out the voices of ordinary people.
Now, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive
Politics has put out a comprehensive
analysis to
assess the flood of campaign money in last
year’s election. One of the most shocking
results of the analysis finds that the decision
appeared to have a sharply partisan and ideological
result. The group found that spending by Super
PACs and all outside spending strongly tilted
towards conservatives, and that spending by
undisclosed donors actually was eight times
higher for conservatives than liberals, with
conservatives spending $119.6 million to liberals’ $15.7
million: (click for larger image)
Not only did this money help elect a more conservative
Congress, but it also is having a lingering effect on
our campaign system. Last week, Democratic strategists
announced that they will be forming Priorities USA Action,
an Independent Expenditure PAC that will be relying
on a strategy of collecting unlimited funds from undiclosed
donors similar to the one that conservative groups used
in 2010.
What this means is that federal elections in 2012 may
include an unprecedented flurry of corporate and secret
cash that would drown out the voices of Main Street America
in a way never seen before in modern history. Ultimately,
the only way to deal with this threat to our democracy
is to enact a system of public financing, much like the
one enshrined in the Fair
Elections Now Act.
Final note: The White House is considering signing an
executive
order requiring all companies bidding for federal
contracts to disclose dollars spent on political campaigns.
Here's hoping. Until then, contact your congressman. =Lefty=)
------------
 February
10, 2011: "We're going to have a relentless focus on creating jobs." -
John Boehner.
So far the list of GOP accomplishments for 2011 is:
(1) Attempted curtailing of abortion rights.
(2) Attempted defunding of Planned Parenthood.
(3) Attempted defunding of NPR.
(4) Investigating Muslims.
(5) Declaring English as America's Official Language.
(6) Reaffirming "In God We Trust". Yawn.
(7) Challenging AARP's tax-exempt status.
(8) Approved defunct funding for failed
religious schools.
(9) Attempt to destroy Medicaid.
(10) Attempt to destroy Planned Parenthood
(11) Shutting down the government
(12) Attempt to destroy the EPA.
(13) Attempting to eliminate financial
counseling.
(14) Passed a House budget that gives $4 trillion in tax cuts to the
rich.
(15) Spend $500,000 to discriminate against gays.
(16) Continued
toadying for the rich.
(17) Pretending the deficit is to blame for slow
job growth.
(18) De-funded SETI.
(ARGH!!!!!!!)
(19) Tried to kill Chrysler two years ago... which is now going to
pay
back all its government loans.
(20) The Judicial
Branch of the GOP, the Supreme Court, votes
5-4 to deny
consumer class-action suits.
(21) Redefining
rape. Yes, redefining rape.
(22) Pushing for spending
caps tied to GDP.
Bad idea.
(23) Claimed credit for dropping oil prices
because they passed
a bill.
Nope. No job creation here. Seriously. Not a fucking employment
sausage. Move along. Move along.
I'll keep adding to this list until the Republican
House does something to create jobs. I unhappily
predict this is gonna be one lonnnnng list. After
all, you don't get rid of a sitting president
by helping the economy.
------------
 And
what manner of lie is Fox News spewing today? They've concoted a
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of travel.
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