Was just watching the Ed Show. And he said something that really caught my attention. He said the whole government shutdown is about “Citizens United.” As he took a second or two to proceed, my brain sort of said...what? But, then he continued. Citizens United, he explained, has enabled the powerful elites to build a shield around politicians. A protective shield in the form of money. Massive amounts of money.
And it's true. Thanks to Citizens United, people like John Boehner don't have to worry about public opinion. They don't have to worry about polls. They don't have to worry about the ramifications of their actions. They know that, when all is said and done, the powerful elites that they have sold themselves to will be there to give them unlimited amounts of corporate cash to continue to do their bidding.
You and me both know this is true. The folks at Red State know it's true. Members of Congress know it's true. And, most importantly of all, the Supreme Court, which gave us the abomination known as Citizens United, knows it's true. Five of the most corrupt Supreme Court Injustices in the history of the U.S. foisted it on us (Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Sam Alito, William Kennedy and John Roberts).
The scary thing is this: your average, everyday American, who is focused on keeping their job (or jobs) or trying to find one (or more) just to keep a roof over their head and food on the table doesn't have time for this nonsense.
How many average, everyday citizens see the direct link between Citizens United and what's going on in this country? My guess: very few.
We need to do a better job educating people as to why John Boehner has no compunction whatsoever about flipping the bird at the entire country when it comes to a government shutdown. It's not principle. It's not even the budget. It's Citizens United, which allows them to do whatever the heck they want under the protective dome of massive amounts of money lavished on them by the billionaires who they really represent.
Kudos to Ed for doing his part to keep it real.