Five Conservatives Vote To Obliterate Democracy

Nine years years ago, state's-rights-lovin', activist-judge-hatin' Conservatives from coast to coast applauded as the Conservative Supreme court publicly and spectacularly eviscerated what was allegedly one of its most inviolate judicial principles in order to install George W. Bush as the 43rd President of the United States on a 5-4 vote.

Nine years later, another wildly-activist Conservative Supreme court has once again publicly and spectacularly eviscerated another of what was supposed to be sacrosanct judicial principle;

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This is a two-part coup. In 2000, in the judicially unconscionable Bush v. Gore ruling, the Supreme Court handed the Presidency to George W. Bush. Bush, in turn, appointed John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, who, in their confirmation hearings, disingenuously promised the Senate and American people to be judicial moderates and avoid judicial activism. Now, in 2010, in perhaps the greatest act of judicial activism in American history, they overthrew 103 years of precedent to turn the US government over to the largest corporations.
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in in order to finish the off what little democracy was still standing after the catastrophic eight year reign of that President:

Citizens United: The Problem Isn't the Law, It's the Court

Progressives may have thought the victory of Scott Brown in Massachusetts earlier this week was bad news, but today's Supreme Court 5-4 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC may ultimately prove far more devastating.

That is because today, the Court's conservative majority re-wrote the Constitution to give corporations -- never mentioned in the Constitution -- the same right to influence the electoral process as 'We the People.' As the NYT's Adam Liptak explains, "Sweeping aside a century-old understanding and overruling two important precedents, a bitterly divided Supreme Court ... ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections." The justices did what many progressives feared for months it would do: hold that long-standing restrictions on corporate campaign spending violate the First Amendment.

The Court's ruling could transform our electoral politics. During 2008 alone, Exxon Mobil Corporation generated profits of $45 billion. With a diversion of even two percent of those profits to the political process, this one company could have outspent both presidential candidates and fundamentally changed the dynamic of the 2008 election.
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And, just like nine years ago, the Pig People are cheering.

From Christopath Mullah Tony Perkins:

FRC: Supreme Court Ruling a Win for Free Political Speech


WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins released the following statement regarding today's decision by the U.S Supreme Court in Citizens United vs FEC:

"Under the principles established by the First Amendment, nothing is more foundational than free speech. This is a win for free political speech and the right of corporate citizens to join the political process.

From the godfather of the direct-mail mass political marketing of right-wing bigotry and rage:

Today's Supreme Court decision: Good Riddance to Incumbent-Protection Censorship; Hello Insurgents

Written by Richard Viguerie on January 21, 2010, 12:29 PM

Today’s Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United case means that the anti-incumbent furor that has been growing is partly released from the shackles created by ‘incumbent protection’ election and campaign finance laws.

The dirty little secret about all campaign finance laws passed by Congress since 1972 is that they were designed to protect incumbents by stifling competition.

This ruling is especially important for advocacy causes and organizations, which may now more freely express opinions about incumbents.
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Over at FoxNews' Andy Breitbart's site, Chris Berg -- advisor to "conservative organizations including the Republican National Lawyers Association and the Young Republican National Federation" and Bush Administration Labor Department Objectivist Hero Second Class -- can't contain his joy at the freedom-flavored awesomeness of it all:

"Today the United States Supreme Court released its decision in the case of Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission. This long overdue decision is a victory not only for Citizens United but also for the First Amendment..."

Mr. Berg's fellow Brietbartian, Robert Frommer, (staff attorney with the League of Justice Institute for Justice) is also large in the pants with delight at giving limitless power to corporations, but warns that we must remain on guard against the remote possibility that some vestigial remnants of quaint, old-timey carbon-based-life-form-centric democracy which may be lurking around somewhere might still need to be put down like a sick dog and bulldozed onto the ash heap of history.

Because Eternal Vigilance is the price of Corporate Omnipotence.

Or something.

"But while Citizens United marks a major victory for First Amendment rights against expansive campaign finance regulation, the war rages on. Politicians worked to silence corporations because they have the resources to speak effectively..."

Malkin:

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[referring to McCain-Feingold campaign finance rules] Yet another reminder of how wrong-headed McCain has been on so many, many issues

Hot Air:

Assuming they break no other laws, what gives government the right to dictate when on the calendar they can exercise free political speech? Apparently, being “rich” is a Constitutional exception through which the government can infringe on rights.

Of course its a lot easier to avoid breaking the law when you write the law. And own the refs. And own the stadium. Also "rich" is not the problem. "Immortal, imaginary, non-carbon-based entities with unlimited funds and armies of lawyers" is the problem.

And as we know, wherever power has become concentrated into the hands of ever fewer, unaccountable, unelected oligarchs, that has ALWAYS turned out well for democracy.

At least that's what Glenn Beck said that Rush Limbaugh said that Ayn Rand whispered to him on her death bed.

Or something.

Of course, if the teabaggers were actually interested in saving this country from the actual enemies of democracy instead of blaming imaginary hippies for the sour taste that sucking George Bush's dick for eight catastrophic years has left in their mouths, this Supreme Court decision should put them in the street-- pitchforks and torches in-hand -- by the millions.

Which is about as likely as Pavlov's dog getting up on its hind legs and beating the crap out of the guy with the little bell.