Multimedia and video producer Remy Munasifi, best known for his hilarious take on what it’s like to ride the Metro in DC, the peculiar truth behind Saudis in Audis, and his rap homage to Arlington, was commissioned by the Center for Competitive Politics to create a few videos related to some of the issues the center believes are important and emerging topics in the current political climate. His first has been completed and is currently posted on the CCP YouTube Channel. “Free Speech Song” is a little country ditty detailing the need to promote and protect the first amendment right of free speech — even when that speech falls short of the popular consensus. 

Center for Competitive Politics founder Bradley Smith was quoted in several news outlets over the past week, expressing his thoughts on everything from the explosion of the SuperPAC in the run-up to the 2012 election, to the war on Citizens United from the likes of Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and George Soros. From City Hall: “‘Over the past decade, George Soros has been a pervasive force that has outspent the vast majority of American corporations,’ said Brad Smith, the Republican former chairman of the Federal Elections Commission, who runs the conservative Center for Competitive Politics. ‘I don’t know why you would say corporate spending is more corrupt or unequal than that by George Soros. It really seems like a pretense to effectively silence political opposition.’”

We are saddened to hear of the passing this week of David H. Padden, a Chicago businessman who was on our Board of Advisors here at the Center  for Competitive Politics. Mr. Padden was a warm and gracious gentleman, a highly successful entrepreneur, and a great champion of liberty and of free speech. Mr. Padden supported many pro-freedom groups and organizations, including the Heartland Institute, which he founded and where he served as Chairman for many years. His advice and leadership will be missed, but the United States is freer and more prosperous because of David Padden, and it is hard to leave a more meaningful legacy than that.

The Cato Institute’s John Samples released a podcast yesterday discussing the shifting view unions have over the Citizens United decision.

Despite initially lamenting the ruling, unions have been capitalizing  on the same freedoms returned to corporations.  Unions were concerned that the decision would give corporations undue influence in the political process.  Of course, “corporations having undue influence” was another way of complaining “labor unions may lose their comparative advantage in influencing politics because their ability to marshal vast amounts of workers to stump for politicians now has to compete for attention from businesses, who have money to sink into PACs.”