Dark Money In American Politics
To the Editor:
In2010,theSupremeCourt made a decision that changed American elections in a very damaging way. The case was called Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. In a narrow 5–4 ruling, the Court opened the door for unlimited political spending by corporations, wealthy individuals, and outside political groups. The court ruled that corporations have the right of free speech under the First Amendment. So, corporations are people. Sounds absurd, but that’s what the Roberts Court did, thereby damaging American democracy. The result has been a flood of what many people now call “dark money” pouring into our elections.
The five justices who voted for this decision were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito. Justice Kennedy wrote the majority opinion. Four other justices—John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor— strongly disagreed and warned that the ruling would do great harm to our democratic system. Unfortunately, their warning turned out to be correct.
Before this decision, there were limits on how much corporations and powerful interest groups could spend to influence elections. These rules existed for a simple reason: our democracy works best when ordinary citizens with limited budgets have a voice that cannot be overwhelmed by the wealthiest people and the biggest corporations.
By declaring that corporate spending in elections is a form of “free speech,” the Court removed many of the limits on political contributions. This led to the rise of Super PACs and political organizations that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money. Many of these groups do not have to reveal who is providing the money.
Now, donors, corporations, and powerful political interests can secretly pour millions of dollars into political campaigns. Voters see the advertisements and political messages, but they often have no idea who paid for them. The result has been a dramatic increase in political spending. Billions of dollars can support candidates with policies that are contrary to the interests of most Americans. A handful of billionaires can now spend more money trying to influence elections than thousands of ordinary citizens combined can spend.
This situation damages American democracy in several ways. it gives enormous political power to a small group of wealthy individuals and corporations. When politicians know that wealthy donors can spend millions supporting or attacking them, many are naturally tempted to serve those interests rather than the needs of everyday Americans. Dark money creates secrecy and mistrust. When voters do not know who is funding political campaigns, it becomes harder to make informed decisions based on facts. Dark money undermines confidence in elections and in government itself.
The explosion of money in politics makes it much harder for candidates without wealthy backers to compete. Good public servants who rely on grassroots support are often overwhelmed by massive advertising campaigns funded by outside money. The biggest winners from the Citizens United decision have been billionaires, corporate interests, and large political organizations with access to enormous financial resources. The biggest losers are ordinary American voters whose voices are increasingly drowned out.
Our Founders like Hamilton, Jefferson, and Adams believed that government should represent the people— not just the wealthiest and most powerful among us. Yet the Roberts Court’s decision has pushed our political system in the opposite direction. Most Americans want reforms through stronger disclosure laws, campaign finance reform, or even a constitutional amendment. Serious reforms are necessary to insure that the votes of American citizens accurately reflect the will of the majority.
Democracy depends on fair elections where every citizen’s voice matters. When unlimited dark money dominates political campaigns, that principle is put at risk. The Citizens United decision damaged our democracy and must be reversed. Citizens United has resulted in enormous benefits for wealthy people and corporations as they are able to influence the election of candidates that will support policies that repeal laws that protect workers and the environment and ensure tax policies that favor the wealthiest of us.
Anger at the unfair and undemocratic consequences of Citizens United is justified. Moreover, that anger should motivate “we the people” to vote for candidates who do not believe that America’s leaders should be chosen by the wealthiest among us. We must choose candidates who believe our elections should reflect the will of the people, not the self-interests of the wealthiest people and huge corporations Citizens United has enabled the undemocratic surge of huge amounts of dark money into our political system. The reversal of that dangerous decision cannot happen soon enough.