It's becoming clearer now that there are essentially three political realities--Beltway corporate insiders, a broad swath of educated people who care about the public interest, and the populist right. Any hope for the country lies with the middle group, but the people in it are not well-organized nor are they well funded. That's always been true relative to the power and funding of corporations. Today it just got worse for them. The supreme court ruling today, ostensibly in the name of free speech, is just another milestone for the corporate insiders and their agenda to consolidate the enormous power they already possess.
I just read the story and haven't read any commentary on this yet, so maybe someone can talk me down, or maybe I'll get some perspective on this when the dust settles, but this ruling at first glance seems to be so insanely un-democratic, so egregiously unbalancing, that it's really kind of awesome in its crudeness and cynicism. This decision is near as corrupting and consequential as was Dred Scott--like Scott it is a cynical defense of the liberty and rights of the already powerful that disregards precedent and dramatically diminishes the rights and liberties of everyone else.
OK, Dred Scott was more consequential, but I exaggerate to make a point: this is a great day for those who desire the kind of authoritarian capitalism toward which we are moving--if we're not there already. It's a great day for those who think equality is bunk, and social and economic stratification are our most desirable future.
When are we going to hear some good news for a change?