On the CBS program “Face the Nation” with Bob Schieffer, Sen. John McCain declared that campaign finance reform is dead after Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, according to the CBS write-up:
Schieffer asked McCain if he thought the issue of campaign finance reform was “dead.”
“Oh, I think so.” He predicted a backlash would occur when people see the amounts of unfettered money, from corporations and unions, that will go into political campaigns.
“But in the short term, the Supreme Court has spoken. I respect their decision,” he conceded.
McCain also criticized the majority (and, by implication, all the Justices) because none of them have political experience. Channeling President Lyndon Johnson, McCain said, “You know, I wish one of them had run for county sheriff.” McCain also said something similar in September at the Citizens United oral argument.
Setting aside the Court’s composition and background, if McCain were serious about that principle, than I expect him to stop voting on legislation in Congress that he doesn’t have any non-Senatorial experience in – like banking regulation, environmental policy, health care, etc. Maybe he should just stick with military policy, eh?
In another segment, CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford analyzed the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United, and explained why it’s a bit ridiculous for members of Congress to harp about independent spending with rent-seeking and horse-trading posing a greater public eyesore.
A rough, partial transcript of her comments follows:
Remember, though, this is not just that we have a new Supreme Court.
Moderate Anthony Kennedy wrote this decision. And the government took the extraordinary position during the argument that this law allows the government to ban political books that are, you know, funded by these outside groups up to, you know, election day. Justices really took issue with that.
You know, and I’ve gotta say, just listening to some of this debate and hearing what Senator Durbin said, you know, kind of about how now the Court has just authorized political extortion.
I mean that is really I think the public is going to find that to be a real stretch because you’ve got a Senate, you know, that’s really selling votes in a Senate chamber to authorize health care reform. You’ve got a Gallup poll showing that 9 percent last year of Americans think that Congress is an honest and ethical job.
And now you’ve got Senators saying this paves the way for extortion. If you’re saying that, I mean that reminds me of what, you know, Winston Churchill said: We’ve already established what you are. You know, now we’re just haggling over the price.
Watch the segment on Jan’s Facebook fan page here.
