Last night, President Obama spoke out against the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States that will permit corporations to spend an unlimited amount of money on advertisements to influence elections in America. President Obama pointed out that the decision will not only open the floodgates for domestic corporations to influence elections, but also for foreign corporations. Justice Alito took the unprecedented action of shaking his head and seeming to mouth the words, "That's not true." Back in 2006, when President Obama was Senator Obama, he spoke against confirming Justice Alito to the Supreme Court.
But when you look at his record - when it comes to his understanding of the Constitution, I have found that in almost every case, he consistently sides on behalf of the powerful against the powerless; on behalf of a strong government or corporation against upholding American's individual rights. Source, Obama Speeches, Floor Statement on the Confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito, January 26, 2006.
Two years ago, President Obama was right about Justice Alito's decisions from the Federal Bench. Now, the Supreme Court handed our democracy to powerful corporations. What can we expect in the future? In 2006 President Obama told us about Justice Alito from the Senate Floor:
He's refused to hold corporations accountable numerous times for dumping toxic chemicals into water supplies, even against the decisions of the EPA. He's overturned a jury verdict that found a company liable for being a monopoly when it had over 90% of the market share at the time.
This decision is good for corporations in America. You and me? The future doesn't look so rosey. Our government, while it has been greatly influenced by corporations in the past, will most likely be owned by the corporations in the future.
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