It's easy to rail against the endemic corruption of our political process, the policy and strategic failures of Democrats, and the increasing inability of the 99 percent to make itself heard in the nation's capital. With the Citizens United and McCutcheon cases, the Supreme Court majority seems to be deliberately attempting to make the United States government a wholly owned syndicate of the extreme wealthiest. The dangers of these Supreme Court rulings can be read right in the dissenting opinions of their respective Court minorities. That's the point.
Both Citizens United and McCutcheon were decided on 5-4 votes. All the justices nominated by President Clinton and President Obama voted against both. All the justices nominated by Democratic presidents voted against both. All the justices nominated by Presidents Reagan, Bush and Bush voted for both. The only justice nominated by a Republican president to dissent against either of these opinions was Justice John Paul Stevens, who was nominated to the Court in 1975 by President Ford, and who voted against Citizens United, but is now retired.
If the United States ever is to enact lasting campaign finance reform, it will do so with a Supreme Court majority nominated by Democratic presidents. If the United States ever is to cleanse itself of the corrupting power of money in politics, it will do so with a Supreme Court majority nominated by Democratic presidents. Don't be fooled into believing that the two major political parties are no different. To the degree that one understands how much Citizens United and McCutcheon matter, one also necessarily understands how much it matters to elect Democratic presidents and Democratic senators.