Ruling will have chilling effect (Imperial Valley Staff)

[struggle4progress]

By IMPERIAL VALLEY STAFF
Saturday, January 23, 2010 1:52 AM PST

... Being in the news business, we realize better than most that there is a natural tension between an individual viewpoint or opinion and the inherently unfair advantage that a corporate mindset (and bank account) brings to the supposedly free exercise of political thought. The public airwaves may be open to all, but they are also open to commercial manipulation and domination by those with the biggest budgets. Only the loudest and most frequent messages will be remembered and the ensuing cacophony of rhetorical stink bombs will confuse and obfuscate real meaning rather than advance it.

Incumbent officeholders who run afoul of this or that special interest will be looking over their shoulders even more than they do now, and the footsteps they will have to worry about hearing won’t be just those of angry constituents but of company vice presidents with a score to settle in the next election.

That’s why it’s hard to see how this ruling could have anything other than a chilling effect on the democratic process, because big money shouldn’t add up to a bigger voice in deciding what or who truly represents the public interest.

http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2010/01/23/our_opinion/ed02_01-23-10.txt

[Hekate]

1. KnR