[nolidad]

Here is another list to show that the ultra big money has never left politics-- just that only certain entities were discriminated agasinst and others allowed to pour big bucks:

Denver 2008 Convention Host Cmte $112,758,397
Minneapolis Saint Paul 2008 Host Cmte $106,250,250
Service Employees International Union $70,415,099
ActBlue $54,382,729
Moveon.org $38,123,571
EMILY's List $34,965,661
American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees $33,097,385
Friends of Fred Thompson $24,316,838
American Federation of Teachers $20,995,532
National Assn of Realtors $18,383,414
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $17,128,126
National Rifle Assn $16,828,298
Teamsters Union $16,148,705
United Auto Workers $13,121,064
Laborers Union $12,785,613
National Education Assn $11,521,063
Plumbers/Pipefitters Union $10,365,854
National Republican Trust PAC $10,024,954
AFL-CIO $9,201,544
Operating Engineers Union $8,510,420

Totals include subsidiaries and affiliated PACs, if any.

Based on data released by the FEC on January 06, 2010.

Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center.

The 1st 2 were the convention committes the rest were just PACS, Unions, and Assc. and their expenditures for 2008 politics.

Over $307,000,000 went to democrats or towards electing them
$105,000,000 went to republicans or towards electing them.

[scarlet.starlet]

I really don't care what party or politician got what money; the fact is this is the most terrifying blow to democracy since the Patriot Act. Corporations have always bought votes; they can just do so more easily now.

No, what frightens me is that with the way this bill is worded, there is absolutely nothing to keep Al Qaeda, the IRA, Hamas, or any other terrorist organization from seizing control of our country. Terrorism is a global business, and an expensive one. These people spend most of their time fundraising and I have no doubt that they are going to seize on this opportunity that our Supreme Court has provided them with.

How on EARTH did they think this was moral, much less constitutional?!?

[nolidad]

Originally Posted by scarlet.starlet

I really don't care what party or politician got what money; the fact is this is the most terrifying blow to democracy since the Patriot Act. Corporations have always bought votes; they can just do so more easily now.

No, what frightens me is that with the way this bill is worded, there is absolutely nothing to keep Al Qaeda, the IRA, Hamas, or any other terrorist organization from seizing control of our country. Terrorism is a global business, and an expensive one. These people spend most of their time fundraising and I have no doubt that they are going to seize on this opportunity that our Supreme Court has provided them with.

How on EARTH did they think this was moral, much less constitutional?!?

Seems to me that Unions especially SEIU are doing far more vote buying. Corporations play much mpore discretely- they play both sides without exposing their own opinions. Its called covering hteir bases no matter who wins. SCOTUS just stopped discriminating against other business entities from pouring moiney into campaigns. It would have been better if they limited what PACs, Corps. Unions 527 orgs could spend on their own for their favorite ccandidates and causes.

I have a hard time believing that many Americans would get hoodwinked in to believing campaign ads from Hamas, Al0Qaeda, Hezbollah, the PLO, the IRA et al. We may be not too bright as a nation, but I don't think we are that stupid yet.