Examining Citizens United Fall-Out

Here are two insightful columns related to the fallout from the Supreme Court’s Citizen United decision in January 2010. One by Nick Nyhart and Tova Wang points out that the decision became a green light for a beefed-up assault on democratic values, particularly the right to self-organize, the right to vote, and the right to elections free from corruption. The second column, by Norm Ornstein of the conservative American Enterprise Institute, traces the remarkable turnaround in support among conservatives for a fourth right they once held dear – the right to know. The turnaround came immediately after the Supremes in Citizens United said that robust disclosure is the best way to hold corporations, unions, politicians, and others accountable for how they use political money. Sadly, some (not all) conservatives now think being held responsible for your actions is no longer a good conservative value when it comes to private money in public elections.