If you’re thinking about how Citizens United will impact the rest of campaign finance law, take a look at the Republican National Committee’s recent supplemental memo in the party’s case against the Federal Election Commission. The document was filed Feb. 2, 2010.
Via The FCPA Professor comes word of a new GAO report on deferred and non-prosecution agreements. Professor Koehler notes:
Why would a company agree to enter into an NPA/DPA if factual evidence did not exist to support the essential elements of the crime “alleged” or if valid and legitimate defenses did exist?
Quite simply, negotiating an NPA/DPA with the DOJ behind closed doors is easier, more cost effective, and provides more certainty to a company than mounting a defense based on the facts and the law.
The GAO report is available here.
Chicago’s Daily Herald printed this letter to the editor today about Citizens United.
Unless you believe voters are idiots, a slick ad campaign can only make them look; you still need a decent product people want to buy.
History shows that mere money can not make people embrace the Edsel, New Coke, Susan B. Anthony dollars, or Ross Perot.
Here’s an interesting international perspective on lobbying from The Sydney Morning Herald today.
Lobbyists say they are misunderstood and the idea that a consultant can fix problems for clients simply by contacting a “mate” in government is unrealistic.
The Times implies something’s different about Sen. McCain in this article about his reelection race this year.
Mr. McCain now sharply criticizes the bailout bill he voted for, pivoted from his earlier position that the Guantánamo Bay detention facility should be closed, offered only a muted response to the Supreme Court’s decision undoing campaign finance laws and backed down from statements that gays in the military would be O.K. by him if the military brass were on board.
There’s a new poll out on citizen reaction to Citizens United and Politico has the news.
According to a bipartisan poll released Monday, voters oppose by a 2-to-1 ratio the court’s ruling in Federal Election Commission v. Citizens United that cleared the way for corporations and unions to run political advertising.
. . .
The survey was commissioned by Common Cause, Change Congress and Public Campaign Action Fund to measure voter support for a bipartisan reform bill that would revamp the campaign finance system.
The political scientist in me wants to see the questions.
I’m confident that this is the only Citizens United analysis referring to Isaac Asimov.
Science fiction tales of human creations—be they machines or monsters—turning on their creators always describe the moment of epiphany when the creation gains self-awareness, a knowledge of themselves as being separate and apart from—and, upon reflection and consideration, superior to—their human creators. Either for humankind’s own good or simply for the good of our newly sentient creations, the only logical solution in their view is to use their overwhelming power and advantage to shape the future to their own vision of what’s best.
From Bellotti to Citizens United, Mary Shelly, Isaac Asimov and James Cameron would be horrified that facts have caught up with their fictions.