criticize Archives

Ex Supreme Court Judge Criticizes Citizens United Ruling – Corporations Are Not People My Friends

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens leveled new criticism on Wednesday against the court’s landmark 2010 ruling on campaign financing, saying it had allowed corporations to ramp up spending and non-voters to influence the outcome of elections.

Stevens, who dissented from the “Citizens United” ruling, said it had increased the importance of cash in contested elections, opened the floodgates for foreign campaign spending and put corporations or other out-of-state speakers ahead of voters interested in local issues.

The Supreme Court split along conservative-liberal ideological lines in making the 5-4 ruling in 2010, giving corporations the constitutional free-speech right to spend freely to support or oppose candidates in federal elections.

The ruling triggered a massive increase in spending by wealthy individuals and corporations in federal campaigns ahead of this year’s November 6 presidential and congressional elections.

[Yahoo News]

Romney Criticizes Obama’s Harvard Connections, Although His are More Extensive

Mitt Romney again bashed President Obama for his connections to Harvard on Thursday, despite holding multiple degrees from the university himself and relying heavily on Harvard advisers as part of his presidential campaign.

Speaking in Harrisburg, Pa., Romney told an audience that Obama may have spent “too much time at Harvard,” according to NBC. Obama, who has a law degree from Harvard, spent three years there. Romney, who earned both a Harvard law degree and business degree, spent four years at the university and was by all accounts a motivated student who was happy with the institution during his time there.

Despite frequently mocking Obama for taking advice from the “Harvard faculty lounge” and spending too much time at the university, Romney has shown little indication that he regrets his own experience.

Three of his sons attended Harvard and he has donated over $50,000 to the university. His campaign lists over a dozen advisers with Harvard ties, including Harvard economics professor Greg Mankiw and international affairs professor Meghan O’Sullivan.

Source: TPM