Opening Salvos

We hoped to have everything in SAP up and running by Bastille Day 2012, but given the Supreme Court decision yesterday striking down the Montana Supreme Court ban on corporate election funds, we shall try to hurry up a bit. Read the article below and weep, fellow creatures, weep.

Supreme Court Upholds Citizens United;
Tightens Corporate Stranglehold on Campaign Finance
Common Dreams
June 25, 2012

In a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court has struck down (pdf) Montana's 100 year old law that banned direct corporate political campaign spending in state and local elections. The court reversed a lower court ruling, but did so without allowing full briefing or argument in the case.

Previously, the Montana Supreme Court upheld the law due to the state’s dramatic history of corruption, but the Supreme Court's ruling today rejected that decision, arguing that “independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption.” Critics, however, say all available evidence -- especially in the aftermath of the 2010 Citizens United decision -- suggests such arguments are absurd and say today's decision only strengthens the role of corporate money and independent wealth while weakening the ability of lawmakers and citizens who might try to temper the amount of corporate money that is now flooding into state-level campaigns...  Read full article here.