the rix mix

Lobbyists Get Potent Weapon in Campaign Finance Ruling

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, NYT

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has handed a new weapon to lobbyists. If you vote wrong, a lobbyist can now tell any elected official that my company, labor union or interest group will spend unlimited sums explicitly advertising against your re-election.

Pardon my English. Five assholes. A telling quote:

“It will put on steroids the trend that outside groups are increasingly dominating campaigns,” Mr. Ginsberg said. “Candidates lose control of their message. Some of these guys lose control of their whole personalities.”

That's Benjamin L. "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" Ginsberg, a Republican campaign lawyer at the law-and-lobbying firm Patton Boggs. He means the candidate you support loses control. Brown won in MA by keeping a handle on his message, sticking to a few themes & points, & not letting his campaign get sidetracked by advertising that would alarm Bay Staters. He didn't want voters thinking he was Jim DeMint of South Carolina. The worst thing Chris Christie could have done in Jersey would have been to allow his campaign to sound like the extreme right wing ideologue he thumped in the primary.

Lobbyists & special interests won 't threaten opponents with negative ads. They'll intimidate "friends" who waver or want to work out legislative compromises. This kind of tactic is discussed all the time on political websites, but there are limitations. Anyway, on liberal blogs it's more about getting enough people to donate $25 each to buy radio ads in support of a longshot congressional candidate in Indiana.

A terrible Supreme Court ruling.

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