Allan Lichtman: Vote for Your Favorite Corporation
[Allan Lichtman is a professor of history at American University and a national political analyst. His e-mail address is lichtman@american.edu.]
Believe it or not, a corporation has announced an intention to run for U. S. representative in Maryland's 8th Congressional District in Montgomery County.
No, this is not some silly joke like writing in Superman or Wonder Woman on your presidential ballot. It is an effort by the progressive public relations firm Murray Hill Inc. to ridicule the recent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court granting corporations the same rights as other "persons" to contribute directly to federal campaigns. The decision overturned restrictions on such corporate contributions dating back to the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt at the beginning of the 20th century.
Murray Hill intends to expand the right of corporate "persons" from donating to campaigns to running for office. According to a press release on its website, the firm wants to achieve corporate efficiency by directly, not indirectly, controlling our politics. Instead of advancing our interests by "influence peddling in Washington," the firm said, "thanks to an enlightened Supreme Court, now we can eliminate the middleman and run for office ourselves."
It is running as a Republican because of the party's pro-corporate agenda, and perhaps the comment by Marylander Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, that the court's decision is "an affirmation of the constitutional rights provided to Americans under the First Amendment."...
My advice to every Republican in Maryland's 8th District is to make sure that Murray Hill gets on the primary ballot and to vote for this corporate "person." Why not eliminate the middleman and go directly to the source of political power and money in the United States? At worst, you could wind up with another doublethink decision by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Read entire article at Business Gazette
Believe it or not, a corporation has announced an intention to run for U. S. representative in Maryland's 8th Congressional District in Montgomery County.
No, this is not some silly joke like writing in Superman or Wonder Woman on your presidential ballot. It is an effort by the progressive public relations firm Murray Hill Inc. to ridicule the recent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court granting corporations the same rights as other "persons" to contribute directly to federal campaigns. The decision overturned restrictions on such corporate contributions dating back to the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt at the beginning of the 20th century.
Murray Hill intends to expand the right of corporate "persons" from donating to campaigns to running for office. According to a press release on its website, the firm wants to achieve corporate efficiency by directly, not indirectly, controlling our politics. Instead of advancing our interests by "influence peddling in Washington," the firm said, "thanks to an enlightened Supreme Court, now we can eliminate the middleman and run for office ourselves."
It is running as a Republican because of the party's pro-corporate agenda, and perhaps the comment by Marylander Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, that the court's decision is "an affirmation of the constitutional rights provided to Americans under the First Amendment."...
My advice to every Republican in Maryland's 8th District is to make sure that Murray Hill gets on the primary ballot and to vote for this corporate "person." Why not eliminate the middleman and go directly to the source of political power and money in the United States? At worst, you could wind up with another doublethink decision by the Supreme Court of the United States.