I do not believe what I'm hearing on Cspan-1 right now

[ThomWV]

CEOs talking about how the Citizens United case will ruin the country, turn our legal system into a bribery system, and corrupt beyond belief. These are the CEOs of health care firms, investment bankers, and others who you would not expect to be saying things like that.

Turn it on if you're near a TV. You'll be amazed.

[mmonk]

1. Good for them. Such a system is nowhere near a democratic republic.

[The Doctor.]

18. And they will take advantage of it without shame.

CEOs tend to know what they're doing. They know damn well that they're destroying the environment and ruining lives. Those are all incidental to turning a profit.

[HappyMe]

2. Good! nt

[spartan61]

3. WOW!!! Just WOW!!!

Obviously the SC doesn't listen to we, the people, but maybe they will listen to the CEOs.

[ThomWV]

4. Its really stunning, isn't it? I never thought for a moment I'd hear these guys saying these things

They are demanding transparency in the political process, calling for limits on political spending, looking for ways to do it.

[FredStembottom]

8. See me below.

i feel I just had a major light-bulb moment on why they would do this.

:hi:

[laundry_queen]

25. Well they aren't stupid

they like the system just the way it was thankyoverymuch where they were making billions and billions of dollars. If something comes up that totally threatens the stability of the system (and thus their profits), they are going to be against it for the most part.

[Enthusiast]

29. Some are recognizing

that the golden egg laying goose has its head on the chopping block.

[DrunkenBoat]

33. Also that more well-heeled competitors can put them out of business through legal bribery.

[AmBlue]

5. Then they should wield their influence and LOBBYISTS against it.

And every way they can. But where to go when a corrupt SCOTUS has already ruled in a way that allows even FOREIGN corporations to have unlimited influence in our elections?

Isn't this kind of like the dog that caught the car?? "Now that we have THIS what do we IT-- before IT kills us?????"

[Enthusiast]

30. Great analogy, the dog-car one.

[AmBlue]

31. thanks!

:smile:

[FredStembottom]

6. Total surprise for me this morning!

I have to wonder if these CEO's worry that Citizens U could become a spending war aimed at passing laws that would aid specific companies at the expense of other companies in the same business?

That it doesn't lift all corporate boats. Just the ones with the biggest wallets.

Maybe they see an "arms race" where the Citizens U spending escalates into a major new cost of doing business.

[Scuba]

9. When I was a kid, the lady at the bank answered the phone by saying "The Bank"...

...seems we're almost back to that point.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

12. I think you're correct.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Ding, ding, ding, ding

Some if these folks have also talked with friends abroad where that kind of shit ADDS a lot of costs that are nowhere in the planned department.

[FredStembottom]

32. Yes. I see your point.

The palm-greasing that is so rampant and blatant in other countries.
They may see Citizens U as the first step in the door.

[Odin2005]

20. 2nd-Ranks corps are afraid od being squashed by the 1st-Rank corps.

[TheKentuckian]

21. Exactly right. Even from the corporate perspective this deal isn't an across the board winner.

Smaller fish aren't going to like it much at all, unless they think they have some kind of way to take advantage of the process.

Most probably have reason to fear that certain relationships could impact their market share and any of them could be thinking that though it is unlikely, a very cleaver bit of turnabout might actually hurt them.

Because of technological advancements and media dispersement it is possible that just the right pitch, done just the right way could be produced and distributed for next to nothing and get a foothold in the imaginations of too many to be convenient in any number of areas that could impact bottom lines.

There are plenty of self interested reasons and of course some number will truly have more altruistic motivations.

[monmouth]

7. But who is hearing them say these things except for political junkies like us?..n/t

[femrap]

15. We are their best

audience. Maybe this will make it to The Evening News. Don't believe a word they're saying. They love buying politicians.

They lie better than politicians...they're scum.

I don't buy their talk....it's cheap.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

10. Amazing. Maybe there is hope. n/t

[mod mom]

11. They air this because they know how few folks are paying attention.

[femrap]

13. K and R

They just apologists for the Koch Bros. They like buying politicians....they just feel a tad embarrassed about it. All of them have Lobbyists in DC.

I don't believe them. They lie better than politicians.

[Drew Richards]

14. ThomWV You know I like your posts but, you gotta realize this is KABUKI Theatre for the masses

They know they are on TV...

Behind closed doors they are all laughing all the way to the bank...

[ThomCat]

23. I don't think so.

I think these are guys who know that their companies wouldn't be big enough or rich enough to compete at the cash bar against the really big, truly wealthy giants.

I think they are trying to preserve a system that allows them to have some influence, rather than allowing a new system that would become an auction, with the few richest bidders getting absolutely everything.

The one thing that you can always count on to motivate corporate leaders is the expectation that their corporations, and the ones they own, will lose.

[Drew Richards]

27. That is a very good and valid point. You may be right. It still felt fake to me watching it.

[Kablooie]

17. They know that this would force them to make huge donations to compete with competitors.

It creates competition between corporations to see who can pay the biggest bribes to get what he wants.

Could become a pretty big sinkhole for corporate cash, something I'm sure many CEOs don't want to be force into.

They'd much rather use the money for lobbyists who present a more focussed influence.

[tblue37]

24. Exactly. Same sort of reason why some businesses want national

health care--the cost of insuring their employees is too large, and it keeps growing. National healthcare would remeove that cost from their books.

[Odin2005]

19. The Capitalist Class is not a united force.

They are all jockeying for power within the system.

[saras]

22. Everybody wants to be a crook, as long as there are not WORSE crooks stealing from THEM

[moondust]

26. Paging Sam Alito! Paging Sam Alito!

Anybody on the dark side of SCOTUS paying attention?

[Enthusiast]

28. Their conclusion is inescapable.

Before Citizens United the nation was already suffering from too much corporate money/influence in our elections, legal system and legislative process.

The supreme court justices that gave us Citizens United are the perfect example of judicial activism "the right" continually rails against.

Citizens United is just fine if we are in favor of fascism.