High Court Ruling Reshapes Campaign Spending Landscape

In a highly-anticipated 5-4 ruling Thursday, the Supreme Court overturned decades of limits on corporate and labor union campaign contributions. Jim Lehrer talks to Monica Youn of the Brennan Center for Justice and Steve Simpson of the Institute for Justice for reactions.

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News & Politics

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• Supreme Court
• Jim Lehrer
• PBS NewsHour
• Jeffrey Brown
• Law
• Politics

[PoliticalSkeptic]

@vigwig  thankyou! This joker on this video is basing his argument on the false premise that corporations are the equivalent of people. Just like the dissenting argument stated. Unlike people corporations can be controlled, owned or influenced by foreign entities. Which means non u.s. citizens will have a voice in our election process.

[VeritasLiberabi]

Dear Steve Simpson;

Really I never knew the founders of our country intended for a rich minority to have control over the goverment through funding of politcial campaigns. I could have swore they wanted more power towards the individual citizen. It's spineless and ethicless people like you that are destoring our country.

[mymatemartin]

Citizens of the US you have a choice! Either support this disgraceful decision by your silence or stand up and demand 1) the reversal of this law and 2) the removal of the Supreme Court Judge. Steve Simpson's very first sentence twisted the true intent of the first amendement. Cleary a spokesman for big business. Corporations do not vote but the people within them do so let them contribute as they can but never allow company money to determine domestic government outcomes.

[scphotogirl]

"if speakers are going to speak well, they need to spend money," steve simpson says. why is that? can't a person join a debate team and learn how to speak? this guy is full of crap. STUPID WHITE MAN!

[scphotogirl]

What's happening in the U.S. is scary and I think we are seeing the groundwork for a revolution being laid. It's no wonder the Supreme Court is making decisions like this, given that Bush appointed two of the nine of these jackasses.

[scphotogirl]

how are we suppose to allow "people to think for themselves," like this douche bag suggests, while at the same time the supreme court is making the decisions, we are making higher education practically impossible for even middle class youth to attain. Look at the price hikes in UC tuition, for instance. When only the rich have access to higher education, the rich are going to end up being the ruling class.

[PoliticalSkeptic]

@brianmenendez Well the Supreme court actually took it much further from the case which was presented in front of them. Citizens united didn't even intend on these results. Its like putting a grenade on a building and finding out it blew up the entire block.

[vtfollett]

So now the real damage to our nation from the GWB debacle begins to show it's long tail. The judges he left us with will push us ever further into the arms of the banker-pharmacy-war machine. God (or someone) help us.

[ElAlexxis]

the big charade is going down and corporations want to have the initiative

[ElAlexxis]

Capitalists are preparing you for the upcoming dismantling of the "democracy" charade.