Your next president will be brought to you by exxon mobile.

In a sweeping decision that will change the face of the 2010 US mid-term election and beyond, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision on Thursday to lift limits on corporate spending in campaigns.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f17287a0-06aa-11df-b426-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

The long and the short of it. Before corporations could not donate unlimited amounts of money to candidates, rather they had to raise money from individual employees in a heavily regulated practice that limited how much money they could give to any body running for an elected position. Now corporations can spend as much money as they want getting candidates elected. Goodbye democracy, hello corporate overlords.

But read the full story for real, it's very interesting. John McCain is right, this will obliterate any shred of a visage of democratic elections we still had.

........uh-oh

...?

I mean... Seriously?

My brother is going to be so pissed you guys, I am not even kidding

As it is, I'm kind of at a loss for words. What do you say to somehting like that? Why do people like the idea of it? Some must!

This is good. If there's one thing that US politics needs more of, it's money. Not enough campaign spending, TV advertisements, kickbacks, pork stuffed into legislation.

Hey, I've got an idea. How about if we just scale the number of votes a person gets based on that person's net worth?

Your statement is false.

Corporations cannot contribute money to candidates. The only difference is that they can now purchase advertisements for candidates, rather than buying their own PACs and mask what they are doing. So if Exxon mobile wants to buy an ad for Obama, it has to buy that ad and state "this message brought to you by Exxon Mobil" rather than "this message brought to you by the American Center for Fuel Independence".

So instead of unions giving their money to candidates through PACs, everyone will know who the ads are bought and paid for. Even if you don't like what the ruling detailed, there will be more transparency on what corporation is favoring what candidate. They've always given money weather we've liked it or not, but now its more obvious.

Oh dear god. American politics are fucked up by special interests as it is.

If this is protected by the constitution its time for bipartisan legislation making an amendment.

Maybe it could be like Nascar where candidates will wear suits full of corporate logos.

Congratulations US Supreme Court. Didn't think you could be bought but you proved otherwise! Now we have a government of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations...

(puts American flag away)

PACs had a number of regulations. Corporations could not contribute from their treasuries directly to candidates or buy ads for candidates. A PAC could only collect a set amount of money per individual to spend on ads and the like. A corporation could only spend money to operate the PAC, paying administative costs, pay employees, ect. The actual funds came from the employees of the corporation or the members of the union, and only a set amount could be donated by each individual. If a single corporation sponsored multiple PACs then they had an agrigate spending limit. Now because of how the supreme court has ruled on "freedom of speech" of a corporate personhood, a corporation can donate as much money as they want without having to take capped donations from each employee. Exxon mobile can still use "american center for fuel independence" it just means that they can now pump billions of dollars into that PAC instead of a couple million "donated" by employees of exxon mobile. Their spending cap has been removed.