Money Talks Louder Than Ever in Midterms

[TomCADem]

Source: NY Times

The dominant story line of this year’s midterm elections is increasingly becoming the torrents of money, much of it anonymous, gushing into House and Senate races across the country.

Television spending by outside interest groups has more than doubled what was spent at this point in the 2006 midterms, according to data from the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political advertising.

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“The difference between the law pre- and post-Citizens United is subtle to the expert observer,” said Trevor Potter, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission and a critic of the ruling. “To the casual observer, what they have heard is the court has gone from a world that prohibited corporate political speech and activity, even though that isn’t actually the case, to suddenly for the first time that it’s allowed. It’s that change in psychology that has made a difference in terms of the amount of money now being spent.”

* * *

“The principal impact of the Citizens United decision was to give prospective donors a general sense that it was within their constitutional rights to support independent political activity,” said Steven Law, head of the Republican-leaning group American Crossroads and its affiliate Crossroads GPS, which have emerged as major players in this election. “That right existed before, but this Supreme Court decision essentially gave a Good Housekeeping seal of approval.”



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/us/politics/08donate.html?hp

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Just more confirmation that Election 2010 will be known as the beginning Corporate Coup 2010.

[groundloop]

1. Well, now that corporations are people......

It just makes me sick to think about what this country is becoming. We sure the hell better work to keep a Democrat in the White House and Democratic control of the Senate so that eventually the supreme court can become a bit less right wing / pro big business.

[TomCADem]

2. Kudo to the NY Times For Covering This Flood Of Money...

...the cable news and the Sunday news generally ignores the heavy corporate/Republican slant of this flood or tries to suggests that Democrats are receiving a similar flood from unions and environmentalists.