The age of Citizens United by digby [excerpt]

So why the big change? I think it has to do with two things, one cultural and one economic. The first is simply that wealthy benefactors are willing to put their names on their politics. The overt lobbying for Randroid values among the super wealthy has been well documented. They are shameless.

[I was thinking about shame earlier today and realized, shame is never spontaneous. Part of the reason for the current shamelessness of billionaires and politicians is that not enough people on the other side are calling them out on it, trying to make them feel ashamed. The Occupy Movement might be one “at long last, sir, have you no shame?” moment, but we need a lot more, from politicans, media, and “thought leaders” on the side of liberal values like truth and equality. - Alex]

The second, and probably more important, is that these wealthy people have so much more money than they had before. Adelson is the 8th richest man in the United States. The Koch Brothers are the 4th and 5th. And their wealth has grown exponentially in recent years as everyone else has been struggling:




When you have this much money, buying elections is a very cheap investment. It’s these two factors —- the swashbuckling culture of wealth and income disparity that lie at the heart of our current problems.

(Source: digbysblog.blogspot.com)