Corporate money: Bad for politics?

Why you should (or shouldn't) be worried by the Supreme Court's new ruling on big business and elections

The White House plans to push back against a Supreme Court ruling that overturned restrictions on political spending by corporations, unions, and other organizations. Politico reports that the Obama administration and congressional leaders are discussing requiring corporations to get approval from their shareholders before spending company money to support political candidates. President Obama said he couldn't think of anything "more devastating to the public interest" than letting powerful interest groups spend as much money as they want on campaigns. Is corporate money really such a threat to American politics? (Watch THE WEEK's Sunday Talk Show Briefing about corporate campaign finance)

Yes. It puts corporations above people: "This ruling will give large business entities far more power than any individual," says E.J. Dionne Jr. in The Washington Post, "unless you happen to be Michael Bloomberg or Bill Gates." It's an attempt by "ideologically driven" justices to "distort our political system" by giving businesses voices magnified according to their wealth. The public shouldn't stand for it — it's time for a "popular revolt."

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