If money is free speech (SCOTUS, Citizens United decision), then lack of money is lack of free speech….
“According to a Chamber of Commerce executive, if H.R. 1 became law, it would “silence” big business in politics. Cue the teeny tiny violins..”
Lobbyists wail that House Democrats’ anti-corruption bill would ‘silence’ big business
House Democrats are moving forward on their government reform bill, and the lobbyist industry is up in arms. The Democratic bill, H.R. 1, makes voting easier and voter suppression harder. It strengthens federal ethics laws and lobbying registration requirements. It cracks down on dark money. So, yeah, lobbyists and representatives of big business hate it.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and 300 other such groups claim that the bill is “pushing certain voices, representing large segments of the electorate and our economy, out of the political process altogether.” The “certain voices” in question appear to be rich people who want to do their political giving secretly—the Chamber and its friends are particularly incensed about a provision that would require organizations that spend money on politics to disclose donors who give over $10,000.
“The $10,000 donor threshold,” they write, “appears designed to target business organizations while largely sparing labor organizations from disclosure of their funding sources, which are typically union dues that are far less than $10,000.” So … it’s not a mystery where labor organizations get their funding: from lots of different people’s union dues that are far less than $10,000. Whereas which rich people and business organizations are writing five-, six-, and seven-figure checks to influence our politics is a mystery that seems worth bringing out into the light.
According to a Chamber of Commerce executive, if H.R. 1 became law, it would “silence” big business in politics. Cue the teeny tiny violins … at least until they’re drowned out by the political expenditures of those “silenced” big-money donors.
Best comments:
My response, “Quit your whining.” It’s about time the power is returned to THE PEOPLE, and not solely controlled by the filthy rich minority.
According to a Chamber of Commerce executive, if H.R. 1 became law, it would “silence” big business in politics.
Sounds like a great idea to me Chamber….so what’s your problem? Every time you open your yap consumers pay more for drugs, cable, consumer goods, food, energy, environmental chaos….the list goes on and on. A little silence might be a very nice thing. Let’s try it.
And remember the old adage…if it is “free speech”, how come you are spending so much on it?
They ought to be glad that lobbying is not outlawed. That’s what I’d like to see.
They’ve had it their way for at least 40 years, basically dictating laws and policies designed to favor them — and look at the result: a country where democracy itself is under attack, where wages are suppressed and infrastructure is allowed to crumble, where policies the people want are simply ignored.
It’s past time for a change.
I’ve often joked with my spouse that I don’t care how much money any politician receives from contributors, just so long as I know who and how much. If the SCOTUS believes in absolute free speech, then they should support total transparency in how that free speech is being made. As for our politicians, I keep wanting to see them wearing patches of different sizes sporting the names of their contributors based on the total contributions made. Yeah, our politicians will wind up looking like NASCAR race drivers, but the right-wing crowd should love that. Just imagine a politician with a patch covering their whole back sporting the name of some bank or fossil fuel company. We’ve got to make it easy for the electorate to identify which politicians are bought and paid for. It’s the dark money which is the real perversion in the process.
March 07 · 07:21:06 AM