We’re apparently very close to losing total control of our
government, all the while conservatives happily jump on board the “money is
speech” bandwagon that’s headed straight to an oligarchy.
How can you not get that sinking feeling in your gut that
something is very wrong here. WSJ:
Even the conservative activist Supreme Court in Citizens United encouraged finance disclosure laws as a remedy to the corrupting power of money.Kevin Kennedy, the director and general counsel of the state's Government Accountability Board, warned of dire consequences of Judge Gregory Peterson's interpretation of Wisconsin's campaign laws in the (John Doe) probe, which centers around a sweeping investigation into alleged illegal coordination between conservative groups and the recall campaign of Gov. Scott Walker and others.
"A candidate could operate secret committees and direct them to run overwhelming and negative advertising, while the candidate remains above the fray and the public would not know the true source of the contributions and expenditures."
"The public would have no way of knowing who actually was supporting the candidate and to what extent. Without campaign finance disclosure and disclaimers identifying the actual sponsors of campaign advertisement, the public would have no way of tracking whether a donation resulted in favorable treatment by the elected candidate."
"The impact of the instant matter on the public is profound," Kennedy said in the affidavit, which was initially filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals. "In contradiction of the stated legislative purpose of Wisconsin's campaign finance laws, affirming the John Doe judge's interpretation of Wisconsin law regarding coordination would result in candidate's direct control over millions of dollars of undisclosed corporate and individual contributions without limitation on the amounts accepted.
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