The Roberts SCOTUS went out its way to make today's ruling possible

[brentspeak]

Read the history of the case in the http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/us/politics/22scotus.html">New York Times article:

When the case was first argued last March, it seemed a curiosity likely to be decided on narrow grounds. The court could have ruled that Citizens United was not the sort of group to which the McCain-Feingold law was meant to apply, or that the law did not mean to address 90-minute documentaries, or that video-on-demand technologies were not regulated by the law. Thursday’s decision rejected those alternatives.

Instead of deciding the case in June, the court set down the case for a rare re-argument in September. It now asked the parties to address the much more consequential question of whether the court should overrule a 1990 decision, Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, which upheld restrictions on corporate spending to support or oppose political candidates, along with part of McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, the 2003 decision that upheld the central provisions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law.

Roberts and the co-conspirator majority deliberately elevated the case they were reviewing into an opportunity to open the corporate campaign floodgates.

[AndyA]

1. Roberts and Alito lied to Congress.

Congress should demand they step down.

If you get in a position of authority and power by lying, you shouldn't be able to retain that position once the truth is known. Both promised they wouldn't legislate from the bench, and that's exactly what 5 of them have done.

Congress needs to pass new legislation quickly to put a stop to this.

[MrCoffee]

2. They bent over backwards to involve Austin...they actively went after that decision.

It's ridiculous.

[zipplewrath]

3. The right will be sorry

The social conservative right wing is about to get a serious dose of their own medicine. Corporations don't like them anymore than most progressives. Churches, often very large land owners and in possession of large amounts of real property, could find themselves the targets of the corporate "people" who want easy access to this land. Gay marriage is BIG business and it will be very attractive to companies in associated industries. All manner of medical procedures, including abortion, are profitable and the corporations will love having it all government funded. The list goes on. Corporations have very little interest in "guns, gays and god" and are far more interested in "selling the rope with which to hang themselves".

[alsame]

4. Activist judges! Where is the right wing outrage now? nt

[Spazito]

5. This ruling was what their appointment was all about...

they knew the job they were being 'hired' for and this ruling is simply fulfilling their commitment to those who hired them.

[glitch]

6. I don't think they're done yet... nt

[Spazito]

7. I agree, they will continue to degrade the public process...

This decision was key to accomplishing the corporate agenda and now they can go on and do even more damage.