I wrote a couple of weeks ago about a pending Supreme Court Decision that would allow corporations and unions to spend more freely to influence political races.
Well they decided in favor of the corporations and unions. Here’s The Washington Post report:
The Supreme Court threw out a 63-year-old law designed to restrain the influence of big business and unions on elections Thursday, ruling that corporations may spend as freely as they like to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress. The decision could drastically alter who gives and gets hundreds of millions of dollars in this year’s crucial midterm elections.
By a 5-4 vote, the court overturned two of its own decisions as well as the decades-old law that said companies and labor unions can be prohibited from using money from their general treasuries to produce and run their own campaign ads. The decision threatens similar limits imposed by 24 states.
Corporations and unions know that from a business standpoint, influencing politicians is often more vital to the well-being of their brands than influencing the public. I think lots of advertising agencies and related marketing firms will want to jump on this, ethics and consequences be damned. It could be the biggest cash grab our industry has seen in years.
Our friend George Parker has a few words to say about it, too.
