There has been considerable weeping and gnashing of teeth in progressive circles at the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizen’s United case which overturned the limitations on the First Amendment during election season by the
McCain-Feingold Law. In fact, the Democratic National Committee’s platform in Charlotte included a
platform plank supporting a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizen’s United decision.
But God (sic), who pays attention to party platform planks?
Such a constitutional amendment would be poised as a check against corporate power on federal elections. But the limits on “in-kind” donations would certainly be a cudgel against free speech, particularly causes and caucuses which oppose the powers that be. In McCain-Feingold, this was applied by prohibiting political issue ads by interest groups thirty days before the primary and sixty days before the general election.
This impetus to regulate “electronic electioneering” might have been intended to stop flooding the television airwaves during election season, especially from supposed evil corporate sources. But the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. McCain-Feingold could have trumped First Amendment rights. David Bossie and Citizen’s United produced the political documentary
Hillary:the Movie (2008) to be shown on cable video on demand in January, 2008 but the federal government blocked it. During the Supreme Court arguments on
Citizens United v. FEC (2010), a justice asked if books could be blocked by the McCain-Feingold law and the government’s position was yes they could. The nation’s high court decided 5-4 to overturn the law.
There have been cries from the left about the invasive corporate influence. But what the Citizen’s United decision accomplished was ending a monopoly of the elite Lamestream Media shaping public perceptions, as it was not covered by the “electronic electioneering” prohibitions. The Supreme Court decision also erased the advantage to unions whose electioneering efforts (overwhelmingly favoring their Democrat political flacks) were also not covered by McCain-Feingold.
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| Ryan Bomberger at Value Voters Summit 2012 |
What puts to a lie the claim that individual citizens are drown out by all of the corporate spending in elections is the example of Ryan Bomberger. Bomberger is passionate pro-lifer, as his biological mother was raped yet she gave birth to him and then allowed him to be adopted by a Christian couple who raised thirteen kids in total. Bomberger expresses his profound gratitude for life by founding
the Radiance Foundation, a life affirming non-profit organizaton which seeks to illuminate, educate and motivate people to have hope about tough topics like race, diversity, adoption and fatherlessness.
As a bi-racial American coming from a traditional Christian world-view, Bomberger grew indignant at the way the Obama Administration conducted itself on hot button issues. So Bomberger formed a 501(c)(4) group “SoOutLoud” to share his perspective.
The message uses a catchy jingle to skewer the candidate of “Hope and Change” and “Yes We Can” on trying to redefine marriage, his Administration’s disregard for religious liberty, wreckless stimulus spending without achieving any significant decreases in unemployment and the atrocity of Obamacare. What is remarkable is how personally referential in tone is the viral video. It shows how freedom of speech, the disaggregation of information influencers and how consumer grade technology can allow a two person operation shape the political landscape on a dime.
This is not the only example which Bomberger has been able to draw attention to his issues. The Radiance Foundation’s Pro-Life outdoor advertising campaign in major cities across America to save black pre-born babies.
This billboard campaign around the San Francisco Bay area managed to deeply offend Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA 9th) of Oakland, California.
Congresswoman Lee declared:
I have and will continue to believe that women have the fundamental rights to make decisions regarding their reproductive lives, and no woman's choice should be subjected to scrutiny based on her ethnic background.
At the
Value Votes Summit, Bomberger related with pride that Planned Parenthood had to convene two national conferences to deal with the "
Too Many Aborted.com" campaign. As Bomberger put it: "A billion dollar giant felt threatened by two people with laptop computers and a little bit of moxie."
Despite the unbridibled Liberal Fascist intention to regulate everything because they know better than the little guy, Bombeger's issue advocacy shows that David can still beat Goliath without mutilating the Constitution to abrogate and "improve" political freedoms.
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