It begins: Corporate Campaign Cash Floods US Elections

[babylonsister]

Corporate Campaign Cash Floods US Elections
Conservative fundraising commitment has stunned Democrats

by Tom Hamburger

WASHINGTON -- Driven by increasing anger at Democratic policies and by recent Supreme Court decisions unshackling corporate contributions, business and conservative groups are preparing a flood of campaign money to try to wrest control of Congress from the Democrats.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the biggest collection point for corporate contributions, has increased its spending for the congressional election in November from $35 million in 2008 to a projected $75 million this year. Officials say it may go even higher.

The chamber has been joined by new conservative fundraising organizations - such as American Crossroads, affiliated with Republican strategist Karl Rove - that have committed to raising tens of millions of dollars.

One report circulating among Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill last week estimated that more than $300 million has been budgeted for the campaign by a group of 15 conservative tax-exempt organizations.

"A commitment of $300 million from just 15 organizations is a huge amount, putting them in record territory for groups on the right or left," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign contributions. "With control of Congress hanging in the balance, this kind of spending could have a major impact."

more...

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/08/02-0

[Subdivisions]

1. Can someone please point me toward our response, please? Thanks. n/t

[babylonsister]

3. Efforts were made last week and were blocked by guess who?

From the OP:

Efforts to bring greater transparency to political ad campaigns by requiring disclosure of donors were blocked in the Senate last week by Republicans, after heavy lobbying by the Chamber of Commerce.

[Subdivisions]

5. Oh gawd. How impontent can our Congress be? They lower the bar every day. n/t

[babylonsister]

6. Whenever anything is voted on, blame the rethugs and

Ben Nelson, and you'd be right most of the time.

They don't want anything positive coming from this admin or benefits to us citizens, and they have just enough votes to accomplish that.

[Ozymanithrax]

2. Money Talks, Democracy Walks...

I wish we all had the same free speech rights as corporations. With my piddling little donations I can manage, at best a microwhisper to the corporate megaroar.

[Bitwit1234]

4. How come they are tax exempt and can contribute to political campaigns.

Doesn't that take away their tax exempt status.

[kenny blankenship]

7. Capital will not tolerate incorrect outcomes for demockracy

Barriers to correction have had to be removed. Owning the entire media spectrum was good but not quite enough. Arbitrary barriers (laws) preventing advocacy domination and oxygen denial were challenged and found incompatible with capitalist logic. The marketplace of permissible ideas must be expanded to envelop and absorb the marketplace of permissible votes. Now that the mainspring of capital is wound directly by government's power to create credit and levy taxes, the cost benefit analysis is clear: there is far too much at stake to allow incorrect outcomes from "random" voting. This is a matter of survival.

[Greyhound]

8. Welcome the the "new" ways "new" feudalism.

WorkCamp America®

Work is freedom. Work is life. Obey.

[NC_Nurse]

9. Between this bullshit and the rule-free lobbying bonanza these days, we

are doomed to continued expansion of corporatocracy. Where's that in the Constitution? I thought these justices were supposed to be "strict constructionists". What a complete bunch of meaningless jargon which REALLY means RW tools.

[sellitman]

10. Just wait until 2012

The Corporate spending will be double what it is in an off year election. The people be damed.

[slay]

11. Our system is broken

the problem is most people don't believe it and so the horribly broken system is just going to continue - it's war now - Corporations have aligned with Republicans to buy and install a right-wing authoritarian government. The left needs to get organized fast in a way that stands up for the people cause it looks like the Dems are going to just leave us to the wolves.

[EFerrari]

12. The Carter Center said it couldn't monitor our elections

with the systems we have.

Well, at least now it's out in the open.

[upi402]

13. Could Dept. of Justice investigate stolen election by Supreme Court?

Seems like the Supreme Court violated Article 2 by stopping the election count and removing Florida Judges from their place in the legal system. So remove some justices!