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How to hoist the SCOTUS on their own petards.

Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 3:10 pm
by KneelandBobDylan
I read this great piece of commentary on the SCOTUS ruling by a poster called smintheus on unbossed.com, in which the said poster came up with a relatively easy fix to the ruling.

http://www.unbossed.com/index.php?itemid=2797

The meat of his approach is quoted below.
"To my mind, however, the first step is pretty obvious. Congress should prohibit any corporation from engaging in this new political spending if it has any non-American shareholders, or owners. Because after all, foreigners have no 1st amendment protections."
As Smintheus points out, the likelihood that any American corporation has no foreign investors is slim to nil, and even finding out who is who would be virtually impossible, and perhaps most importantly, what corporation would be willing to drive away any such investment to gain political influence?

This is a law that could very well get support across the political spectrum given how touchy the right has always been about sovereignty, and their fear of foreigners. So, this is something that should fit Obama's call for a bi-partisan solution to a tee.

Besides, if I am understanding this right, if we passed such a law we might be able to eliminate corporate spending all together, except through individuals. At the same time, labor unions would still have the right to give unlimited sums, thus creating an "unintended outcome" Roberts never planned on. The current SCOTUS is bound to give individuals an unlimited right to give too at some point, but we aren't at that point yet. Besides, all the rich aren't Repugs and I'll bet Soros would pitch in a pretty penny.

Re: How to hoist the SCOTUS on their own petards.

Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 8:07 pm
by tin00can
That would have as much change of passing through Congress as my dream threesome with Vikki Blows and Keely Hazel does of happening.

Re: How to hoist the SCOTUS on their own petards.

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:36 am
by VinnieKulick
It makes sense.


Which is why it would never work.

Re: How to hoist the SCOTUS on their own petards.

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 11:08 am
by bane
That's an interesting idea. No way in hell congress would ever do it though.

Re: How to hoist the SCOTUS on their own petards.

Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 11:25 am
by lerxstcat
Since the members of Congress are the prime beneficiaries of this ruling (besides the corporations themselves) no way they are going to hamstring their own gravy train.