After watching the GOP debate and listening to the doomsday vision of the GOP candidates and the backward ultra-conservative rethoric, don't you get a little worried that any of these individuals may make it to the White House, courtesy of the millions of Dollars spent by Super PACs in brainwashing American voters?
Well, here comes a little history lesson about corruption of the democratic election process, and it starts with a picture:
Harold C. Simmons, a wealthy Texas businessman, has contributed more than $14 million to Republican super PACs so far this cycle, according to an article in the New York Times. He is only one of the many superdonors in the 2012 presidential politics.
About two dozen individuals, couples or corporations have given $1 million or more to Republican super PACs this year, an exclusive club empowered by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and other rulings to pool their money into federal political committees and pour it directly into this year's presidential campaign
Now let's contrast that scenario with some events that occurred in 1999 in a South American country.
In 1999, Peru, under President Alberto Fujimori, was run like a bona-fide banana republic, so-called democratic elections were held every 5 years and the Peruvian electorate would go out and vote, but not before being heavily brainwashed by - TV ads and TV programs that were controlled by politicians seeking to get into or remain in power. But they needed money to pay for those ads and TV programs.
The photo from above's link (courtesy of La Bitacora de Fer) shows Fujimori's chief advisor, Vladimir Montesinos, receiving 2 million Dollars in exchange for a favor (being promoted to head of the Supreme Council of Military Justice). Nobody gives money away and expects nothing in return. We all know that.
In the case of Peru, the actions by Montesinos, once revealed to the public, caused Fujimori's support to collapse. Montesinos and Fujimori had to flee the country and seek asylum elsewhere. Both were later extradited and brought to justice in Lima.
Now, I would like to ask, what is the difference between the bribing describe above and the large donations of money to Super PACs?
The main difference is that one is illegal and the other is not.
Thanks to the 2010 Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, today in the United States of America, buying off politicians is LEGAL. Corrupting the democratic election process is LEGAL. Influencing public opinions with political ads paid by wealthy donors and big corporations is LEGAL.
One can only wonder if there were any backroom dealings, a-la-Montesinos, that influenced such a misguided ruling by the Supreme Court.