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    Eliot Spitzer bucks liberal orthodoxy: ‘Citizens United was correct’ [VIDEO]

    By Jeff Poor - The Daily Caller | The Daily Caller – Sat, Feb 18, 2012

    On Friday night’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” on HBO, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer broke with his allies on the left and explained why he thought the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision was the right call.

    The opinion is one which Spitzer has expressed before, but in the middle of the Republican presidential nomination contest, he explained how the decision best reflects the spirit of the First Amendment of the Constitution.

    “Let me make a different point, and this proves… five is most powerful number in The United States of America,” Spitzer said. “Five justices can do anything — elect a president, rewrite the Constitution.’

    “Now, having said that, Bill, we rarely disagree. I am with the ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union] on this one. I think as a First Amendment principle, Citizens United was correct.”

    Spitzer explained to Maher that there is no distinction between some of the shows on the airwaves, all owned by corporations and corporations participating in politics through paid advertising.

    “Your show is owned by a corporation,” Spitzer said to Maher. “So you have a First Amendment right. And so, I don’t know how you distinguish between the New York Times editorial page, Rachel Maddow, George [Stephanopoulos]‘s show — all owned by corporation, corporations’

    “The First Amendment: shall make, pass no law abridging the right of speech. Doesn’t say by anybody, it says speech. I don’t care whose speech it is. The ACLU agrees with me and Larry Lessig, great academic on this. So this is a more textured issue. It has done horrific things to politics. But as a First Amendment issue, it’s a much more complicated issue.”

    Spitzer explained there could be restrictions, but ultimately he said the democracy would be better for the free speech.

    “We can limit contributions to candidates, and we should be able to do that. We should mandate absolute disclosure. But as a First Amendment principle, people should be able to say what they want, how they want with their own money. I don’t care if it’s [Sheldon] Adelson or somebody who is of my political views on the left. Let speech breed speech. You never defeat speech by limiting speech is the First Amendment principle by which I live. I just think we’ll be a healthier democracy for it.”

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    22 comments

    • FOURSQUARE
      FOURSQUARE  •  3 mths ago
      Can we deny that the modern corporation is for the most part a historically new and highly powerful concept? Since the modern corporation was not around at the time of the Constitution's signing, I don't disagree with those who question the ruling when it is judged by modern principles. Anyway, If corporations can have personhood status can I have corporate status? I want to pay 10-15% income tax too.
      • MikeR
        MikeR 3 mths ago
        Yes, we can deny that. Corporations were well-established in the 1600s when the legal fiction of corporate "personhood" was first incorporated into Common Law. While ownership structures have changed in the centuries since, the basic concepts have been remarkably stable. Specifically, that includes the "undue influence" concerns of corporate and commercial interests that were debated even by the Founders. Notably, they debated it and decided to leave well enough alone.
    • Philip
      Philip  •  Santa Clara, California  •  3 mths ago
      He would however say that the 1879 supreme court erred when it gave personhood status to corporations. Gee I wonder how the pro life people handle that one?
      • MikeR
        MikeR 3 mths ago
        The legal fiction of corporate "personhood" dates back to the 1600s and was adopted into our common law long before the 1879 decision. It was originally the basis for the government's ability to tax at the corporate level rather than only being able to tax shareholders as individuals.
      • Philip
        Philip 3 mths ago
        you peeparty morons always want to make the magna charta part of our legal system and we fought our way out of that mess of Royal chatered companies.
    • MikeR
      MikeR  •  3 mths ago
      Wow, Spitzer got a legal call right. Maybe it's time to check for the pigs for wings.
    • Stea
      Stea  •  3 mths ago
      No liberals that I talk to dispute the fact that Citizens United was decided correctly. The Supreme Court could scarcely have come to any other conclusion. That's not the point. The point is that powerful, moneyed interests are going to increasingly dominate elections in our country as a result of the ruling, because they are now able to spend unlimited sums of money in political advocacy. The other point is that in a political system where money is considered free speech, then it logically follows that those who possess the most money will have the loudest voice in the political process.
      • Jove
        Jove 3 mths ago
        So are you saying that the Court should have rendered a decision contrary to the law because you fear the possible consequences of their ruling in accordance with the law?
    • ScottW
      ScottW  •  3 mths ago
      So speech is free, but the more money you have the louder your voice -- to the point where one rich person/corporation can literally drown out the voice of millions who don't have the finances to speak equally.
    • Carl C
      Carl C  •  3 mths ago
      Citizen's United made official that the US is a plutocracy, and not a democracy or republic.
    • Hoosier Daddy
      Hoosier Daddy  •  3 mths ago
      Everyone is free to speak their mind. Some have the finances to be more free than others. Some lack the common sense to know when to shut up. And SOME, like the silent majority in this country, are discovering their voice and the Good Ol' Boy politicians are trying to stifle that urge.
    • DT
      DT  •  3 mths ago
      Sorry Eliot, I respectfully DISAGREE. Corporations are NOT people. And fat cat CEO's are not MORE of a person that anyone else, so they should not be able to wield that much power over elections by pouring stockholder money into elections. PERIOD.
    • Dennis
      Dennis  •  3 mths ago
      Basicly the golden rule, " he who has the gold rules."
    • DJT
      DJT  •  Atlanta, Georgia  •  3 mths ago
      Hummm, a first for me agreeing with Emperors Club VIP Spitzer!
    • Carl M
      Carl M  •  3 mths ago
      By the way YAHOO IS GOING BANKRUPT,ALONG WITH YOUR LIBERAL IDEA'S!
      • Dan
        Dan 3 mths ago
        I see by your profile you are a no namer, so it is my guess that you occupy a desk. Don't let the chair fall in dude Rock on protesters!
    • Carl M
      Carl M  •  3 mths ago
      Ever HEAR OF UNION'S you DAM LIBERAL FOOL'S!
      • Dan
        Dan 3 mths ago
        Ah Carl, you're too funny.
    • GBC
      GBC  •  3 mths ago
      Legalize hos and make Spitzer president. I disagree with him on this point, but he's still awesome.
    • tex reb
      tex reb  •  3 mths ago
      When corporations pay for elections it just means the rest of us don't have to, but of course liberals have a problem with anybody saving money
    • Simon
      Simon  •  San Francisco, California  •  3 mths ago
      I generally like Spitzer, but he is dead wrong on this. His argument is based on free speech (which is OK, of course) AND that money = speech, which is the most ridiculous idea the right wing activist majority of the supreme court, fully owned by large corporations and religious conservatives, has come up in the past years.
    • 1776partisan
      1776partisan  •  Pell City, Alabama  •  3 mths ago
      if not for the decision we would have had the republican nomination decided by lack of money instead of voters. PAC money may help keep O'bama in the white house[a bad thing by my standard]but it has keep people in the race that would have dropped out.
    • Blindness of Strangers
      Blindness of Strangers  •  Denver, Colorado  •  3 mths ago
      Citizens united is Destroying Gop White House chances, so it has that working out for it.
    • Lee
      Lee  •  3 mths ago
      Citizens United (or Corporations united -whatever) is constitutionally retarded, and sets a dangerous precedent. If money equals speech, then taxes, fines, tickets, bail, etc. are all unconstitutional, because they seek to diminish my freedom of speech. Also, by allowing some people exclusivity to capital or money, they're then violating the equal protection clause of the law. Hey supreme court! Romney's camp said it best: "When you shoot from the hip, sometimes you shoot yourself in the foot."I know I wont be paying taxes#$%$ politicians salary.
    • Dan
      Dan  •  3 mths ago
      I can only guess yahoo's don''t want me to talk to Tex.
    • Dan
      Dan  •  3 mths ago
      Corporations cry when they lose money, yet when people die they think it quite funny. Soooo, Corporations are people?
     Post a comment
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