Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is saying that the Citizens United decision has opened up so many floodgates, that it would allow for foreign entities to give money to Presidential candidates.
Since such entities don't have to reveal themselves, it could be anyone. A business, a NGO, a corporation, or even a foreign government. Can we say Manchurian Candidate?
The Founders were clearly concerned with foreign influence of our government. It is why Article 2, Clause 5 states that "No Person except a natural born Citizen" may be the President or Vice President of the United States.
On July 25, 1787, John Jay, our first Chief Justice, wrote to George Washington saying: "Permit me to hint whether it would not be wise and seasonable to provide a strong check to the admission of Foreigners into the administration of our national Government, and to declare expressly that the Command in chief of the American army shall not be given to, nor devolve on, any but a natural born Citizen."
If we don't want foreigners controlling our government, then why has the Supreme Court legalized allowing foreigners to bribe our government? Does this not pose a bigger national security risk than al Qaeda?
So what's the problem?
It is a real shame that court rulings seem to have gotten caught up in political correctness and just plain stupidity. There is no constitutional right for a non human to have this kind of power in our elections.
I am somewhat involved with yet another absurdity involving a friend who has been accused of child abuse by his 12 year old daughter... she made a complaint that she was inappropriately touched six years ago. With no other evidence than that, my friend was arrested on two felonies, spent nearly 20K on bond/attorney, and still not even any discovery to his lawyer, no pretrial, lost his job, may lose his house, can't leave the state, ...... he ain't even seen the evidence against him... Only in America...
non US citizens can elect our prez and the obama jockstrappers are pushing to allow voter registration with no identification that say syu are a citizen.....listen to the progressive whiners weve their thread of 'voter repression' cause States want to make it illegal for non US citizens to vote!!! what is this country coming too????
Sometimes I talk to my leftie friends and they can't see dangers facing them now. Not to get side tracked, so just one example. Three years ago every Dem from Obama to Hillary said the debt was a crisis. Lefties I talk to can't see that far ahead any more.
That said, you are worried about a flood of foreign money that hasn't started trickling.
Obama is going to raise a billion dollars. And that only counts part of his "war chest." Unions (and others) walk precincts, which is worth a fortune.
TO BE FAIR, the estimate of what the right will raise is also huge, so I am not debating fairness.
On top of that the media has huge power. (I am not talking liberal - all media.) in order to control that a foreign government would have to buy out CBS, FOX, ABC, CNN, NY Time, LA TImes, Drudge, HuffPo, and so on for hours.
WHAT I AM SAYING is that foreign money hasn't started to trickle in and you already see them electing the president. You have reached the bottom of the slope before the first lemming got there.
Finally, opening up the doors doesn't bother me. It is one more person, agency, body, corp, or what ever pouring in more info. There are dozens of governments that would like a say and they all have different views. They will not be pouring in money unilaterally (if they do at all) but as one donation at a time.
The cure to threats against free speech is not to limit it but to encourage more.
Since such entities don't have to reveal themselves, it could be anyone. A business, a NGO, a corporation, or even a foreign government. Can we say Manchurian Candidate?
The Founders were clearly concerned with foreign influence of our government. It is why Article 2, Clause 5 states that "No Person except a natural born Citizen" may be the President or Vice President of the United States.
On July 25, 1787, John Jay, our first Chief Justice, wrote to George Washington saying: "Permit me to hint whether it would not be wise and seasonable to provide a strong check to the admission of Foreigners into the administration of our national Government, and to declare expressly that the Command in chief of the American army shall not be given to, nor devolve on, any but a natural born Citizen."
If we don't want foreigners controlling our government, then why has the Supreme Court legalized allowing foreigners to bribe our government? Does this not pose a bigger national security risk than al Qaeda?
May be we are turning into Egypt under Mubarak. You know, he held regular elections!
How long is it going to last? Republicans think they can maintain forever but demographics indicates otherwise.
If Republicans had a choice, they would only allow members of NRA, Evangelicals, and registered Republicans to vote and restrict everyone else to hold on to power.
Get brain. Oops, they are not available at WalMart!
"The cure to threats against free speech is not to limit it but to encourage more."
If the person, company, group or country doesn't want to be identified with the message and their contributed money then how is it 'free speech?' Those who are contributing six and seven digits are not wanting to be heard. Many of them are whining about being identified, and or fighting any attempts to do so. They'd prefer to just buy the election.
Which is why they are terrified of the idea of showing your ID at the polling places. So scary since we know most people don't have IDs since we have no other uses for them in everyday life.
PS- Do you pat yoursef on the back every time you vomit out another liberal talking point? You are so intellectual. (Please note sarcasm)
If Republicans had a choice, they would only allow members of NRA, Evangelicals, and registered Republicans to vote and restrict everyone else to hold on to power.
Get brain. Oops, they are not available at WalMart!
I guess they assume it is cool now.
-- Modified on 5/31/2012 4:03:05 PM
On soooo many levels.
Felons don't have the right to vote because they break major rules of society and it is determined that they don't have society's best interests at heart. Although I'm sure murderers, rapists, and heroin dealers that sell to children would share the same political beliefs as you.
Your voter supression 2000 story is a myth as substantiated as Bigfoot. In Willy's PATHETIC mind thrown out lawsuits are the equivelent to truth. Move On!
Did you ever hear of Illinois in 1960? Voter fraud did turn that election.
Only someone with values as repulsive as your's would wonder aloud what's wrong with voter fraud. RETARD!
Why shouldn't a felon have representation? Aren't felons Americans too, with a number of basic rights? Or should we live in a country where rights can be taken away? Are they really rights if they can be taken away?
What's wrong with dead people voting? What, do you carry around a list of dead people and their addresses, and drive around from poll station to poll station, hoping no one recognizes you from earlier in the day, just so that you can cast 20 or 30 extra votes?
Name one instance where such a thing has ever happened and over turned an election. I can tell you about an entire presidential election that was flipped because of voter suppression.
So you post an article about 2004 voter rolls in Florida when Bush won that state by 5 points. I bet a whole lot more dead people on those rolls then "supressed voters". And they purge because so many snow birds in Florida vote in two states. But why would you care if the law is being broken? No white guys with German shepards like the NAACP claimed in 2000?
Election fraud YES but not voter fraud NO in Illinois? What the fuck are you talking about with that bullshit? That is the premiere example of the Democratic Urban Machine having dead people vote.
Election fraud is rare but let's not ID people at polling places to actually check it. O'Keefe will show video of doing it in 50 states and you will still deny it. Of course someone as "intelligent" as you will shoot the messenger.
"I know a heroin junkie Fox News watcher" Compelling argument Willy.
This is all about voter fraud and nothing else and you know it. Who in the fuck can't produce an ID? I know, a dead guy!!
-- Modified on 5/31/2012 8:28:57 PM
Felons actually do have the right to vote in almost every state of the union.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felony_disenfranchisement#United_States
The purpose of voting is not to enact a society's best interests. It's to give the people representation of their desires. If you judge things that way, then by right, few conservatives would have the right to vote.
I've had the misfortune to know a heroin dealer (and junkie). He watched a lot of Fox News and was convinced that if Obama was elected whites would be put into concentration camps. That sounds SO MUCH like me, don't it?
Voter suppression is a myth? Ahem.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/10/national/10florida.html
Isn't it strange that the only political party in the United States that has been found guilty of caging voters isn't the Democrats?
Voter fraud didn't happen in Illinois in the 1960 election. One could argue that ELECTION Fraud happened, and I think that such an argument is completely valid.
Voter fraud is incredibly rare. It almost never happens. The only people it seems who are getting prosecuted for it are Republican Secretaries of State.
From 2002-2005, there were only 38 cases of voter fraud ever found, and 14 of those cases were thrown out of court.
Get real. This is about voter suppression. Nothing more, nothing less.
Why is it wrong to want to have ONLY documented US citizens vote in this country?
If you are so worried about foreigners influencing our elections, where do ybsand on the hot button issue of checking ids at the voting booth.
i used those terms to mean same.....check id's of all.....WHITES included...rich and poor... give everyone time to get their id if they do not have one...make it easy to get.....then CHECK 'em.