Commentary: Thank you, Supreme Court for all the sleazy attack ads

[unhappycamper]

Commentary: Thank you, Supreme Court for all the sleazy attack ads
By Dan Morain | The Sacramento Bee
Posted on Tuesday, November 2, 2010

It's a sleazy little ad, the one alleging that Sen. Barbara Boxer supposedly voted against the interests of injured war veterans and in favor of giving Viagra to pedophiles.

~snip~

You will never know – except that one of its directors is a high-powered Washington lobbyist who represents moneyed interests that have a financial stake in whether Democrats or Republicans control the U.S. Senate.

Campaign 2010 is noteworthy for many things: the influence of tea partiers; dismay at President Barack Obama and incumbents; fear about our nation's future. But most remarkable has been the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision issued at the start of the year that opened wide the spigots of corporate money flooding into this year's election.

The 5-4 decision in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission handed Republican strategists something they long sought, the ability to raise unlimited money from corporations.

Worse, the high court decision permits many of the organizations to forever hide the identities of their funders, while other groups easily can delay identifying their donors until after votes are cast.

[madmax]

1. Yet over at Freakville this is an abomination.

"WHEC TV (Rochester) Offering Voters "Rides to Polls" (Coalition of Black Trade Unionists)
Tuesday, November 02, 2010 6:07:02 AM · by AmericanInTokyo · 10 replies
WHEC TV 10 (NBC) relayed by WSYL Radio, Rochester, NY 92.1 FM ^ | 2 November 2010 | AmericanInTokyo
Just heard right now (5:40 a.m. Eastern) that live radio, in Rochester, New York WYSL RADIO, relaying the morning news segment audio of News 10 WHEC-TV (NBC affiliate) is offering voters to the polls for free.Problem is, they are telling voters to call liberal, far leftist, anti-Republican UNION GROUP and giving out their phone number.This was done by the female component, of a male/female morning straight news anouncer team.Anyone think that this violates FCC neutrality rules?They told people to call the Rochester, NY office of the COALITION OF BLACK TRADE UNIONISTS for these free rides, and also said that the..."

More at link: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2619419/posts if you can stomach it.

Rides to vote - OMG oh no, unbridled cash to buy our goverment - free speech. :crazy:
Ack! Free rides provided by BLACK TRADE UNIONISTS! FEAR! FEAR!

[ladjf]

2. Yes, and also for appointing Bush in 2000. nt

[stevebreeze]

3. who wins the slimy add campaign derby? the media outlets racking in the dough.

Link to expanded comments elsewhere
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9439104

[blondeatlast]

4. Thank you, SCOTUS, for being the overwhelmingly most responsible party for the decline of the US,

period. First the appointment of GWB, then the Citizens United deciasion.

I would have thought that crass, corrupt politicians would be our demise; sadly, the most corrupt in the service of Justice did it.

It was nice while it lasted, siiiigh...