Proposal #2: Money and Politics: A Citizens United Story One of the most controversial court cases that has pitted the main political forces against each other this past decade has been the controversial Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission. The background of the case, as taken from the website of the FEC states the following:
“The Federal Election Campaign Act (the Act) prohibits corporations and labor unions from using their general treasury funds to make electioneering communications or for speech that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a federal candidate.”
With the advent of this court decision, the Supreme Court of the United States found that a Citizens United film degrading a political candidate (Hillary …show more content…
The number of leaders thrust into positions on an interest group or corporation 's monetary merry-go-round is no doubt whittling away at the legitimacy of those in political office. Today, it often doesn’t take much more than a quick look at recent elections that people are distrustful of their own governments, and thus, are quick to accept anyone they see as being outside of special interests lobbying. “Clearly change in needed. We are witnessing a widespread loss of confidence in and a dissatisfaction with the government that is currently functioning” (King, Nye, & Zekow, 9). It is not to much a stretch, then, that with such unhealthy influences in a democracy that so blatantly uses ads condemning opponents that receive these large contributions that we Americans have been trained to distrust our leaders when every is seemingly accused of being in cahoots with a puppet master in the …show more content…
"Citizens United and Its Critics." The Yale Law Journal. Yale Law School, 29
Sept. 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.
"FEC Litigation." FEC. Federal Election Commission, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.
"How Corrupt Is Your Country?" Corruption Perceptions Index. Transparency International, n.d.
Web. 16 Sept. 2016. "How Corrupt Is Your Country?" Corruption Perceptions Index.
Transparency International, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.
Magleby, David B. Outside Money: Soft Money and Issue Advocacy in the 1998 Congressional
Elections. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000. Print.
Nye, Joseph S., Philip Zelikow, and David C. King. Why People Don 't Trust Government.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1997. Print.
Stevens, John Paul. "CITIZENS UNITED v. FEDERAL ELECTION COMM’N." Citizens United v. Federal Election Comm’n. The Supreme Court of the United States,
24 Mar. 2009. Web. 11 Nov.
“The Federal Election Campaign Act (the Act) prohibits corporations and labor unions from using their general treasury funds to make electioneering communications or for speech that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a federal candidate.”
With the advent of this court decision, the Supreme Court of the United States found that a Citizens United film degrading a political candidate (Hillary …show more content…
The number of leaders thrust into positions on an interest group or corporation 's monetary merry-go-round is no doubt whittling away at the legitimacy of those in political office. Today, it often doesn’t take much more than a quick look at recent elections that people are distrustful of their own governments, and thus, are quick to accept anyone they see as being outside of special interests lobbying. “Clearly change in needed. We are witnessing a widespread loss of confidence in and a dissatisfaction with the government that is currently functioning” (King, Nye, & Zekow, 9). It is not to much a stretch, then, that with such unhealthy influences in a democracy that so blatantly uses ads condemning opponents that receive these large contributions that we Americans have been trained to distrust our leaders when every is seemingly accused of being in cahoots with a puppet master in the …show more content…
"Citizens United and Its Critics." The Yale Law Journal. Yale Law School, 29
Sept. 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.
"FEC Litigation." FEC. Federal Election Commission, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.
"How Corrupt Is Your Country?" Corruption Perceptions Index. Transparency International, n.d.
Web. 16 Sept. 2016. "How Corrupt Is Your Country?" Corruption Perceptions Index.
Transparency International, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2016.
Magleby, David B. Outside Money: Soft Money and Issue Advocacy in the 1998 Congressional
Elections. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000. Print.
Nye, Joseph S., Philip Zelikow, and David C. King. Why People Don 't Trust Government.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1997. Print.
Stevens, John Paul. "CITIZENS UNITED v. FEDERAL ELECTION COMM’N." Citizens United v. Federal Election Comm’n. The Supreme Court of the United States,
24 Mar. 2009. Web. 11 Nov.