Buying elections seems legal now
Big Money and Dark Money groups are now going to literally be able
to buy elections in Wisconsin according to a federal court decision today. Good news for Big Money. Bad news for the people who think that government and its representatives should serve them.
Campaign finance laws in Wisconsin just took a beating.
A federal judge has struck down key portions of Wisconsin's campaign finance laws and blocked the state's elections board and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm from enforcing them.
The decision (warning: large pdf file) is here.
Drawing on horrendous past court decisions like Citizens United and Buckley v. Valeo, Federal Judge Charles Clevert, a Clinton appointee, declared that dark money groups are only prohibited from telling people precisely who to vote for (or against). Everything else is now, apparently, fair game.
This decision could bury the current John Doe Probe into illegal coordination between Republican campaigns (including Scott Walkers) and dark money groups since those laws cannot be enforced.
The decision Friday by U.S. District Judge Charles Clevert in Milwaukee could hamper the ability of Chisholm to restart a stalled probe into whether Gov. Scott Walker's campaign and conservative groups illegally worked together during a wave of recall elections in 2011 and 2012.
No one has been charged in that probe, which has been on hold for more than a year. The state Supreme Court will consider three lawsuits connected to the investigation in coming months that could determine whether the investigation can proceed.
But Clevert's ruling means the investigation may not be able to continue even if the state Supreme Court rules in prosecutors' favor.
(bolding is mine)
I can virtually hear the champagne corks popping in the Governors Mansion.
Our campaign financing laws have become a joke over the last decades, but the joke has been on all of us since the Supreme Court issued their decision on Citizens United which equated money with free speech and enabled dark money groups with their big money donors to heavily influence elections. The amount of money spent by candidates is becoming shadowed by the amount spent by shadowy groups where donors hide under a cloud of anonymity.
What voters get now are massive ad campaigns by friendly sounding, patriotic appearing "concern" groups that are really just a few wealthy donors astroturfing as a "movement". Those ads spread lies and distortion behind creepy sepia images and malevolent music voiced over with a sincere sounding concerned voice that creates an emotional reaction to fuel either a vote or decision to stay away from the polls. Even though everyone hates them, those ads are effective.
So, Wisconsin, prepare for an onslaught. And America should prepare, as well. It's going to be the Wild West of Campaign Spending from now on. Money rules and everyone else should just shut up because free speech isn't what it used to be. It's a commodity to be purchased. Use your free speech to protest and the odds won't be in your favor. More than likely, you'll be met with a SWAT Team rather than the loving embrace of our legal system.