High Court Decision May Bring ‘Cascade’ of Election Spending (Bloomberg via Business Week) [View All]

[struggle4progress]

January 22, 2010, 04:24 AM EST
By Jonathan D. Salant and Lorraine Woellert

Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- ... The ruling may prompt members of Congress to think twice before voting against business interests, out of concern that companies could oppose them with critical advertising, said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a Washington group that supports stronger laws governing campaigns.

“Every time they cast a vote, they potentially face multimillion-dollar campaigns against them,” Wertheimer said of lawmakers.

Mark McKinnon, a media strategist for Bush and Senator John McCain of Arizona, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, said the ruling hands more influence to both businesses and unions.

“It’s great for labor, great for big business, and lousy for voters,” McKinnon said. “There’s nobody in America who thinks we need more money in politics or that special interests need more influence” ...

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-22/high-court-decision-may-bring-cascade-of-election-spending.html