The McCutcheon Decision Hangs in the Balance. So Does Our Democracy

https://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/03/11-0



The US Supreme Court is about to rule in a case that, if successful, would sound the death knell for average Americans’ rapidly-dwindling influence over our politics. McCutcheon vs. FEC seeks to remove many of the few leftover limits protecting our democracy since Citizens United.

That’s right, McCutcheon is a play by the very wealthy to increase their influence, because they don’t think Citizens United tipped the scales in their favor enough.
For an indication of just how regressive the thinking behind McCutcheon is, look no further than its namesake, plaintiff Shaun McCutcheon. A coal baron aligned with the Koch brothers and other wealthy climate deniers, McCutcheon has already been found by the Center for Public Integrity to have donated more than the legal limit to the Republican Party in 2012.

As the country continues to be battered by the local and global impacts upon us through the actions of big coal, and as natural gas and renewable energy continue to cut into his bottom line, McCutcheon, like most coal executives, is getting increasingly desperate to control Congress and state legislatures. Already, those executives wield enough influence to prevent Congress from adopting significant climate-related policies. And they have successfully stymied attempts to close the loopholes in environmental regulations. McCutcheon will increase their unfair advantage over advocates of the cheaper and cleaner sources of electricity we need.

What McCutcheon will do

McCutcheon is the next step in a long-term attack by corporations and wealthy individuals to buy our Democracy outright. In fact, many people are calling it “Citizens United 2,” referencing the notorious decision that gave corporations the ability to increase “outside spending” in order to influence the outcome of elections.