E.J. Dionne: It Could Be the End of Our Democracy as We Know It

[marmar]

from Truthdig:



It Could Be the End of Our Democracy as We Know It
Posted on Sep 6, 2009

By E.J. Dionne


President Barack Obama’s health care speech on Wednesday will be only the second most consequential political moment of the week.

Judged by the standard of an event’s potential long-term impact on our public life, the most important will be the argument before the Supreme Court (on the same day, as it happens) about a case that, if decided wrongly, could surrender control of our democracy to corporate interests.

This sounds melodramatic. It’s not. The court is considering eviscerating laws that have been on the books since 1907 in one case and 1947 in the other, banning direct contributions and spending by corporations in federal election campaigns. Doing so would obliterate precedents that go back two and three decades.

The full impact of what the court could do in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission has only begun to receive the attention it deserves. Even the word radical does not capture the extent to which the justices could turn our political system upside down. Will the high court use a case originally brought on a narrow issue to bring our politics back to the corruption of the Gilded Age? .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090906_it_could_be_the_end_of_our_democracy_as_we_know_it/

[Why Syzygy]

1. Bookmarked. nt

[pleah]

2. K& R

[OffWithTheirHeads]

3. This week will be the most important week in our history.

If Obama caves on health care and the SC hands our system over to our corporate overlords we will see the end of our democracy and the return of a feudal society in this country within 20 years. God help us.

[neverforget]

4. I'll say it first: we're fucked. Alito, Roberts, Thomas, Scalia are a given

for corporate interests. Kennedy is our only hope.

[Loge23]

5. Personally, I think we're already there.

Corporate interests already control our government. They already spend millions on elections and they own most of the elected representatives. Even Obama is said to have recieved over $1M from health care organizations during his campaign.
...and the other big moment? Health Care?
A single-payer could have and should have been rammed through by now. Instead, we're hoping for a miracle - that Obama will actually come out fighting for something. Hoping for a freaking miracle after all that.
This country is so done.

[democracy1st]

12. just look at this admin and all the Goldman Sachs lobbyist that are advising the pres

[tiptoe]

6. The Consortium of FOX News,NBC News,ABC News,CBS News,CNN & AP have suppressed '08 Prelim Exit Polls

leaving only the Final NEP for America to see. Pre-election RV polls seem to have been suppressed more in 2008, as well, by sites like RealClearPolitics, when high turnouts (2000,2004,2008) would warrant their not being deferred to LV polls. These are polls conducted anonymously, for "more honest answers", while the Final Exit Poll isn't even a poll, rather an accommodating tinkering of later-suppressed preliminary exit poll weights and shares for a 'legitimate coverup' of continuing election vote-count fraud in America (by still calling it a "poll" of exiting voters). The truth that America, President Obama, Congress and the Supreme Court may never be allowed to see by those with "editorial control" of their pollster (with a "professionalism" that doesn't preclude the 'forced' matching of Prelim Exit Poll vote-share to secret vote-count share, regardless impossible results) is that Obama won in 2008 by more than double the "official" 9.5m recorded vote-count margin, addressing the question posed here:

When will the MSM release the 2008 Exit Poll Report?
Energy corporations ripped off California of $9 Billion in 2000, with Sch*zenegger secretly conspiring with Enron's Ken Lay and using his celebrity to gain authority to override (by settling for pennies-on-the-dollar) Lt Gov Bustamante's lawsuit to recover the funds filched. Government programs had to be cut, including some for the blind and disabled. You'd think some investigative reporter might want to probe the mind of Mr. Puniverse for the thief-thug's motive/payoff. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission could be an another example of activities in which "thrifty" corporatist traitors to the public interest invest (not-unlikely stolen) public monies. HAVA and 9/11 would be others.

[windoe]

7. K & R

[azul]

8. The case before the court should be about challenging basic corporate rights

that were mis-read/mis-applied to them via the 14th ammendment. Not just visiting the legality of corporate political contributions:


"Humboldt County, California, became the latest, and largest, jurisdiction to abolish the disastrous legal doctrine known as “corporate personhood.”

In 2006, Humboldt County, California, became the latest, and largest, jurisdiction to abolish the legal doctrine known as "corporate personhood."

Measure T was successful because our all-volunteer campaign came together to pass a law that bans non-local corporations from participating in Humboldt elections. The referendum, which passed with 55 percent of the vote, also asserts that corporations cannot claim the First Amendment right to free speech.

By enacting Measure T, Humboldt County has committed an act of "municipal civil disobedience," intentionally challenging "settled law." But voters also recognize that Measure T is an act of common sense. We polled our community and found that 78 percent believe corruption is more likely if corporations participate in politics."

http://www.alternet.org/workplace/61737/

[Demeter]

9. E. J. Is Only 30 Years Too Late

Reagan ended America as we knew it and loved it and thrived and prospered. The rest since then is just mopping up.

[struggle4progress]

10. Not too early to start thinking about the Constitutional amendments we'll need

[autorank]

11. If they overturn this then we'll just have to impeach them k*r

it's long overdue anyway. Scalia goes duck hunting with Cheney and engages in other forms of conflict of interest. I'm sure theres more. Thomas should never have been there and Alito probably lied to Congress. It doesn't matter, really, since doing this would be impeachable grounds period.

I wouldn't expect this Congress to do it but by 2010, there will be some new members and some members with a fire built under their lazy behinds.

It's about time for the under 30's to get activated. This could be their first project.