“Money talks, but it don’t sing and dance, and it don’t walk…”, and neither do American corporations and labor unions.
This does not mean that they are not entitled to the protections of the First Amendment. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
The dissenting opinion argued that the First Amendment rights were intended to protect the rights of people, not corporations or unions. The majority opinion argued that corporations are made up of people, a person’s corporate identity should not diminish their right to exercise free speech.
Chris Christie, on his first day as New Jersey’s governor, took a position in opposition to the Supreme Court ruling by issuing an executive order limiting political donations by labor unions in NJ. His actions reflect the belief that unions, as well as corporations, will exploit their financial ability to impact political elections. A January 2010 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the majority of union members in America work for the government, with the implication being they have vested interest in government spending.
Many political pundits are calling the Supreme Court ruling a great victory for the Republican Party which has traditionally been close to big business. But it is still prohibitive for corporations and unions to give money directly to the campaigns of federal candidates, or to political parties. They can finance their own “free speech” as was the case with Hillary:The Movie which instigated the recent court case. This movie was prohibited from broadcasting before the last presidential election because the law being challenged prohibited speech of this nature 30 days prior to the election.
Other critics of the Supreme Court’s decision believe it opens the door to the United States suffering from international influence as foreign interests, such as China, which holds 2 trillion in American debt, might be inclined to finance media buys for a candidate friendly to their policies. The same fears hold true that American politicians will be more susceptible to corporations, industries, special interests, and lobbyists who can deliver their message through television, movies, radio, books, and newspaper ads…which is where the majority of campaign goes.
While politicos on the right and on the left voice their opinion on how this influx of corporate and union cash will impact the electoral landscape in November, many average Americans see one way to further the political debate as exemplified in the photos below.
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