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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPierce: Susan Collins Is Just Getting a Taste of What Citizens United Has Done to Our Politics
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a23101915/susan-collins-brett-kavanaugh-bribe-extortion-citizens-united/Susan Collins Is Just Getting a Taste of What Citizens United Has Done to Our Politics
Some Mainers are merely exercising their constitutional rights, as defined by Anthony Kennedy, to oppose Brett Kavanaugh.
By Charles P. Pierce
Sep 12, 2018
Pity poor Susan Collins, Republican senator from Maine and career summer soldier on anything that really matters. All she wants is to be a Moderate Republican and thoughtfully, carefully, maybe change the nature of the Supreme Court for the next 20 years, but still guarantee her right to protest futilely when said Court throws the privacy rights of 51 percent of the population out the window. Really? Is that too much to ask?
Instead, here are these people trying to show her that legislative votes might have political consequences. From The Portland Press-Herald:
Collins went to wingnut wind-farm Newsmax to call this fundraising effort a "bribe." Elsewhere, Erick Erickson lit his shoes on fire and did a buck-and-wing. From themaven.net:
Bear in mind that, under ordinary circumstances, people like Erickson and organizations like Newsmax wouldn't care if Susan Collins wandered into Boothbay Harbor and washed up in Iceland. But Kavanaugh, as we have learned, makes all the difference. He's the culmination of a 30-year campaign to re-establish a Supreme Court that is Lochner-friendly on corporations and Plessy-friendly on race. They're inches from the finish line, and that's why this is driving them so crazy.
And, all due respect to Mr. Noti, this is not remotely close either to bribery or extortion. This is a demonstration of how post-Citizens United campaign-finance works, CU having essentially legalized influence peddling. Have any of these people noticed the way that the NRA or the Club For Growth or a hundred other organizations "rate" members of Congress based on their votes? They even warn members of Congress in advance as to the votes on which the members of Congress will be rated.
All these people in Maine are doing is telling Susan Collins in advance that, for them, and for the people sending them money, a vote for Brett Kavanaugh is a deal-breaker as far as they're concerned. If she votes against Kavanaugh, and these people don't send the contributions back, as they've promised to do, then I'll be the first to call out the grift. However, right now, all they're doing is exercising their inalienable rights according to Justice Anthony Kennedy.
LandOfHopeAndDreams
(872 posts)She has 2 full years to plan for her life outside of politics. That blue wave she thinks is only applying to 2018, will sweep her out of office soon enough.
I bet she'll be so proud when the guys she's confirming to the Court start overturning cases involving issues she PRETENDS to care about. What she really cares about is bowing to every whim of her party, and throwing her support behind Drumpf's nominees.
erronis
(15,170 posts)Not In Name Only.
Solly Mack
(90,758 posts)I'm seriously thinking of sending her an "Aunt Lydia" costume. Or maybe she hopes to be a "Serena Joy".
Hekate
(90,538 posts)flotsam
(3,268 posts)Orrin Hatch needs to STFU. What makes him so sure the contributors are Democrats? If some are Republicans aren't THEY the people he should be advising???
Uncle Joe
(58,272 posts)Thanks for the thread babylonsister.
JHan
(10,173 posts)Hassler
(3,369 posts)appalachiablue
(41,102 posts)how harassed and 'victimized' she is with the coathangers sent and vulgar, threatening phone msgs. left at the office. Total omission of why people are upset, her record, and what's at stake- ACA pre existing medical condition ins. coverage, abortion & contraception, much more.
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,239 posts)TV is doing the same thing they did in 2016 -- stir the ratings!
Remember how they ignored issues?
It will be great for ratings when they get to report all the bad calls Kavanaugh makes from the bench. See TrumPutin.
Now is the time to call 'em out on their failure to report on the public's disapproval of Kavanaugh and the process.
PatrickforO
(14,558 posts)If it happens to a Republican, why, then it is illegal!
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)People are using the phrase "Citizens United" as a metaphor for "excessive role of money in politics". It's a bad practice because it's so misleading.
The decision in Citizens United overturned restrictions on how corporations could use their money for independent (ha ha) expenditures. The people trying to pressure Collins over Kavanaugh are collecting money from individuals, not corporations, and they're planning to donate the money to a candidate's campaign.
I believe that Citizens United was wrongly decided. I also believe, however, that Citizens United could be overruled tomorrow and we would still have a badly broken campaign finance system.