Corporate Cash May Steal Election Day Prize

Corporate cash – lots of it – is putting fear in the hearts of many Democratic candidates.

Those Democrats who would ordinarily fend off outlandish, misleading, scandalish attacks by weak opponents seem to be hiding behind the barricades as the opening guns begin to roar.

Why?

Money. Corporate money!

Think Citizens United v. FEC.

Now that corporations can – and already are – giving unlimited, unaccountable money to Republican, right wing candidates (and those carrying their Tea Party banners) many Democrats are frozen with fear of the tsunami of misleading ads that are -- and will be -- heading their way.

The combination of overwhelming financial backing by the corporate giants, made possible by the unwise and injudicious misstep by the five conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the right wing knack for witty, denigrating and misleading political 30-second TV ads, has the Democratic candidates and leadership in a pique.

Opensecrets.org reports on 33 organizations -- called super PACS -- who have registered with the Federal Election Commission their intention to raise unlimited sums for independent expenditures for either the left or the right. You can bet the corporation contributions will smother similar contributions from unions and others with smaller bankrolls.


I understand why Democrats are working hard to gather small contributions in support of Democratic candidates, nevertheless I don't like to see the poor and middle class who are struggling in this economy giving their hard-earned dollars to any politician. The millionaires and billionaires can give large sums -- and they do -- to their right wing candidates without a trace of hardship.

The goal of any clear thinking American must be to get the big money out of political campaigns. It can be done. It must be done.