The Supreme Court Ruling Increases the Importance of the Democratic Base. Or Not

[Tom Rinaldo]

If Democrats want to chase the big wads of cash that corporations will now be free to spend on politics, the Republicans have a big head start in that race since they mostly are the ones who run those corporations. This may well accelerate the rise or corporate Democrats, but there's nothing like the real thing baby. Why should Big Business settle for Republican Lite when they can now buy their goods in the purest form?

On the other hand, the internet is virtually free media, and internet fundraising has surged in recent years WHEN ACTIVISTS ARE MOTIVATED TO GIVE. But liberal activists tend to lose the motivation to fork over money when Democrats go all corporate on them.

So what is a Democratic running for office to do?

[Hello_Kitty]

1. I'm very worried about a lot of safe Dem districts actually

What is to stop a big corp from recruiting a "Democrat" to knock off, say, Raul Grijalva in his district? Before you scoff at that notion, realize that Grijalva gets elected in one of the lowest turnout districts in the country. So if a corporation were to flood his district with a bunch of ads and field operations to promote a faux-liberal candidate, it's entirely possible they could take him out. I'm serious. And I don't think even motivated liberal activists can raise enough money (especially since so many of us are struggling to keep food on our tables these days) to counteract it.

[Tom Rinaldo]

2. I am too.

This ruling is a total disaster. Liberal activists, if motivated, can raise enough money in some cases to elect some good Democrats, but often we have raised money across district lines to channel into key races, operating on the assumption that many other seats were relatively safe. We will be more than hard pressed to defend every inch of the playing field against corporate money IF Democrats even decide to appeal to our sensibilities.

But increasingly Democrats running for office will have to choose. A disillusioned base will not fork over many hard earned dollars to them, especially not during a recession, unless we trust they will fight for us and not just run interference for big business.

[librechik]

3. no big corporation will wvwe back Democratic platform issues.

So--guess those will have to change. I predict a big increase in Green party and Independents. But no increase in their power, since they won't ever have the money to compete with the other players.

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. This may in a way grow the core progressive movement

because Democrats and 3rd party politicians who either refuse to be wholly owned corporate subsideries (or who realize they would never make it to the final corporate hack friendly job interview over other candidates with better corporate friendly resumes if they tried that route) may have to turn to grass roots funding appeals to raise money to run on.

I can see a possible scenario in which Republicans score big gains, but more of the Democrats who survive are stronger progressives. The only silver lining in that picture is that we may end up with a few more Bernie Sander types in Congress, and a real progressive agenda may end up with a few more high profile advocates to challenge the corporate world view. In the best of all possible alternative futures, a real movement could build from that. It happened once before in America with the rise of organized labor.

[librechik]

7. yes--and took a century and untold lives lost to union busters

do we have the will to build that movement again? Not yet. I don't like to think about the America that we'll have to fight in order to be free humans instead of corporate serfs again. They won't be as easy to fight as gangs of thugs with clubs and pistols.

[OHdem10]

4. Absolutely the Base needs to be stronger than ever. They need

to join forces with other Democratic Groups actually forming
a Progressive Movement. Strength in Numbers.

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. It was done in generations prior

There is no other option. The Constitution won't be amended if we can't change Congress, and even the future make up of the Supreme Court depends on who gets elected.