The Right Persuasion
Now I can run for president
By Paul Moomjean 02/04/2010
When I was a little kid, my mom and dad once asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I pondered for a while and then decisively said, “I will be a fireman, but if my hose doesn’t work, then I’ll be a dentist.” While I was unaware of the advancement in hose repair or dental school costs back in the mid-’80s, today I can look at my parents and proudly say, “I want to be the President of the United States.” And if they laugh and ask how I will ever pay for the costs of running a presidential campaign, I can ponder for a while and say, “If the teachers union doesn’t have enough money, then I suppose I could ask General Electric.”
On Jan. 21, the United States Supreme Court overturned a ruling that limited the amount of money corporations and unions can spend on a candidate in any local, state or national election, allowing, for the first time in a long time, anyone the opportunity to run for president. While most corporations or unions have been supportive of candidates through a slew of commercials, they have been limited financially to being able to support an issue as opposed to backing a candidate. While a business might want to support a person running for office, it used to be able only to run commercials or throw money behind causes, and not a lot of money behind the person with the actual power to do something about it. Interestingly, the Democrats look scared. President Obama has already given a verbal beat-down to the Supreme Court in his State of the Union address. But do not be fooled by the liberal outcry here. Democrats are just as beloved by Big Business as Republicans are. Now General Electric can give to any Democrat it wants and doesn’t have to hide behind the news fraud that is MSNBC. Sure, Republicans have “Big Oil,” but do they have Disney, Microsoft, the teachers unions or the teamsters? Somewhere, Jimmy Hoffa is smiling from his hidden grave.
I support free speech — even the speech that might hurt my guy’s chances at winning. So call me crazy when I tell you I believe this to be a victory for liberals more than anyone else. Democrats own the media and the newspapers.
Let’s be honest for five minutes while the over-reactors cry about Fox News and talk radio, and remember that it is liberals and progressives who control a lot of the wealth. George Soros and his ilk have the means and ability to use their corporate profits to keep Barack Obama in office. Close your eyes for a second and imagine a world where teachers unions can spend freely. Think about how much money Mickey Mouse and his friends at ABC Broadcasting can now start pumping through the election cycles. This is not a win for Big Business but instead for Big Government.
Ironically, though, the only part of this ruling I disagree with is that it didn’t go far enough. You, I, and everyone we know should be able to give as freely as we wish. Why should only the wealthy, like Jon Corzine of New Jersey, get to spend his mass fortune to be elected to the senate and the governor’s chair while I can’t run for mayor because I can’t afford to get the film equipment for a YouTube campaign video? What this ruling does is allow for us all to be backed by a company or union with some power and the funds to do it, but it still maintains a world where business reigns over the people. Only now I can maybe get a business to let me be its bullhorn.
Even though I don’t plan to run for president soon, I am happy to know that while I don’t have the bucks to do so now, one day I might be able to. So while this ruling may not help the conservative cause, I can at least know that I have a chance again, even if it does mean I might have to get Burger King to sponsor me.
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