I have been disturbed by the knee-jerk reaction to the Supreme Court decision. I even received a request from Organizing For America to sign a petition.
First, I will post my response, then I will post their request.
Mitch Stewart,
Let’s hold off on the stampede to react to the Supreme Court decision.
Restricting what corporations can do with political ads was always on very shaky constitutional grounds.
Remember that FOX news, MSNBC, and the New York Times are part of corporations. If you start meddling with restrictions on what corporations can say to the public, where will it end?
So you write an exemption for news media into the new rules. All corporations then establish a news subsidiary and we are right back where we started.
One of the key talents of President Obama is the ability to calmly step back from the stampede and make a considered decision. This is no time for him to become just a regular politician.
/Steve
Here is the email to which I was responding:
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| Steven —
Yesterday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations can spend freely in federal elections. It’s a green light for a new stampede of special interest money in our politics, giving their lobbyists even more power in Washington. Now, every candidate who fights for change could face limitless attacks from corporate special interests like health insurance companies and Wall Street banks. While the GOP is celebrating a victory for its special interest allies, President Obama is working with leaders in Congress to craft a forceful response that protects the voices of ordinary citizens. Please add your name right away to help show that the American people support strong, urgent action to prevent a corporate takeover of our democracy. Congress: I support bold action to ensure fair elections.  The Supreme Court decision overturned a 20-year precedent saying that corporations could not pay for campaign ads from their general treasuries. And it struck down a law saying corporations couldn’t buy “issue ads” — which only thinly veil support for or opposition to specific candidates — in the closing days of campaigns. The result? Corporations can unleash multi-million-dollar ad barrages against candidates who try to curb special interest power, or devote millions to propping up elected officials who back their schemes. With no limits on their spending, big oil, Wall Street banks, and health insurance companies will try to drown out the voices of everyday Americans — and Republicans seem ecstatic. While opponents of change in Congress are praising this victory for special interests, President Obama has tasked his administration and Congress with identifying a fix to preserve our democracy — and we need to show that the American people stand with him. Add your name today: http://my.barackobama.com/FairElections Thanks, Mitch Mitch Stewart  |
Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee — 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. |
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My response to OFA was rejected, but I did manage to post it to this disappointing message from President Obama.
Follow this link to see where I responded.