What's really changed with political contributions after the SCOTUS decision?

[napi21]

We have Packs, ads all over TV on every side of every issue, groups designed to fight for or against every issue, etc.

I don't want to start a firestorm here, but really...what's the diff. if the sig line on the ad says assn. to stop health care takeover, of it says Bristol, Myers, Squibb?

[still_one]

1. They have made it official, and weakened the Feingold/mccain finance reform act /nt

[Igel]

2. Directness and amount.

Now corporations--of whatever size and composition--can donate directly to a campaign.

Through PACs at least somebody else had some say in it so the candidate wasn't as beholden, or as obviously beholden, to a contributor. (Or, conversely, couldn't have his views so directly supported financially--keeping in mind that often a politician isn't so much paid to have particular views but is paid because of the views he holds).

However, it's also likely that more money could go into campaigns. It's also likely that media will be watching like hawks, esp. for contributions from corporations they esp. despise or consider bad, to politicians they esp. despise or consider bad.

Likely short-term affect because of this: Not great.

Most likely target of media attention: Hard to say. Most reporters are dems, so you'd expect them to look out for big bad corporations donating to repubs. On the other hand, they may decide that party purity is more important--or that scandals are always newsworthy--and focus on dem transgressions.

[bain_sidhe]

3. They have solidified the "corporate person" concept

And, on top of that, assigning MORE rights to Corporate "persons" than to actual human beings. The Kennedy decision states:

Distinguishing wealthy individuals from corporations based on the latter's special advantages of e.g., limited liability, does not suffice to allow laws prohibiting speech.

So, corporations have special advantages over actual human beings, one of the most important of these being "limited liability." I.e., they have the same rights as actual human beings, but not the same responsibilities.

Or, as George Orwell would put it, "all persons are equal, but corporate persons are MORE equal."

[classysassy]

4. Democracy

the dream has become a nightmare.