Roy Barnes on ‘Citizens United’ decision: ‘What a crock’
The State Bar held a series of seminars Friday on the implications of the Citizens United on campaign financing – the famous U.S. Supreme Court decision is now just over a year old.
One of the participants was state Rep. Wendell Willard, R-Sandy Springs, who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Williard made a bit of news when he said it was likely that a) the Legislature would soon consider a measure to restore the rule-making authority of the body once known as the State Ethics Commission; and b) he favored more reliable financing of the agency.
Former Gov. Roy Barnes at a Thursday news conference, defending Cobb EMC's chief on theft and racketeering charges. Vino Wong, vwong@ajc.com
Stacey Kalberman, executive secretary of the awkwardly renamed Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, was in the audience. And seemed pleased.
Another participant was former Gov. Roy Barnes, who made light of his November defeat – and said he was done with running for office. But for the bar, he penned a lively condemnation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to extend to the right of political speech to corporations.
Read the entire piece here. These are some of the opening lines:
”A Corporation has no soul. It can not repent and be born again even by the most determined Southern Baptist evangelist. It can not marry, even to a corporation of the opposite sex, much less the same sex.
“It can not vote. A corporation can not adopt a child or be compelled to pay child support. A corporation can not think or have an opinion.
“Even the most conservative in our society recognize the difference in corporate and personal existence when they argue a corporation should not pay taxes because it is an artificial creature passing through levied taxes to consumers.
“The examples are endless. Despite these obvious differences and contrary to a over a hundred years of settled Supreme Court precedent, the Court in Citizens United held that corporations have been pining since the beginning of the Republic to voice its long restrained free speech rights and should be set free to do so.
“What a crock.”
The former governor says this about last year’s failed campaign to return to the governor’s mansion:
“During my last run for governor the Republican Governors Association spent between seven and eight million dollars against me in to do one thing—to make me the greater of two evils. From scorched earth scenes reminiscent of the landscape of Mars to every little issue possible I was portrayed as the worst person on earth.
“Now, I am not whining. I have a thick skin, and anyway this is the life I have chosen, to paraphrase Hyman Roth from ‘Godfather II.’ But, with all of the money being spent against me I did not have the resources to combat the negative attacks. Let me give you one example.
“Jobs, of course, were a big issue in the campaign. During the time I was governor, 235,000 were created. I am not saying I was responsible for all of the job creation but my prior record as governor was a much debated subject during the campaign. The RGA began airing television spots saying while I was governor Georgia led the nation in job losses. This was simple not true.
“During my tenure Georgia was the fourth fastest growing state in the nation and the fastest growing state east of the Rocky Mountains, but in the month after the attacks of September 11, and because Hartsfield-Jackson was shut down during that time, Georgia bounced up as losing the most jobs during that short period of time.
“Because the resources of the RGA were so much greater, we could not respond and at the same time adequately promote our message. Thus the louder voice won. There was no discussion of issues like stem cell research which I favored and Governor Deal did not. There was no discussion of shortening the school year because of budget constraints which I said was off limits and Governor Deal said was not.
“Excessive money manipulates the truth and corporations are the greatest bundlers of political money in our system. The fewer restraints in corporate money, the greater chance of manipulation in campaigns.”
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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107 comments Add your comment
Last Man Standing
January 29th, 2011
4:47 pm
Timothy Franzen:
” We are in serious danger of losing our democracy to corporate interests”
The U.S. is not now, nor has it ever been, a democracy. The only people who say that are the woefully uneducated or those influenced by a liberal news media. The U.s. is a republic.
“Deal is a crook; that a proven fact”
For what crime or crimes has he been indicted? When was he proven guilty of these crimes you are going to enumerate by a court of law? In which court was he tried and what was his sentence?
“This country is now separated by the haves and have nots.”
Please inform me at which point in history that was not the case?
“Education and Pell grant funding will suffer.”
That would be the case no matter who was elected Governor. Education funding will not suffer nearly as much as other areas of government. Let me introduce you to a whole new concept: If you don’t have the money, you can’t spend it. Now, if someone would just inform the muslim, Obama, of that fact, things might begin to improve. The wholesale printing of money is going to devalue the U.S. dollar (which may be Obama’s aim after all). Then, my friend, you won’t have to worry about education, Pell Grants or anything of the nature. You will be worrying about where your next meal will come from.
Last Man Standing
January 29th, 2011
4:52 pm
markie mark:
In the bloggimg world here so dominated by brain-dead liberals/progressives, you are indeed a breath of fresh air! I enjoy your posts.
khc
January 29th, 2011
6:14 pm
“If you don’t have the money, you can’t spend it. Now, if someone would just inform the muslim, Obama, of that fact, things might begin to improve.” LMS
Guess you thought Reagan and the Bushes smucks too?
captguitarman
January 29th, 2011
10:07 pm
I am not a fan of Roy Barnes, and during his administration with Democrat majorities in both legislative houses, I was angered more than once by their “good old boy” go along, get along bidness as usual culture and their determination to maintain absolute control over the state and especially fellow Republicans in the legislature. Their gerrymandering of Congressional districts to maintain Democrat control in the Congressional delegation in clearly Republican leaning state was one for the records books. I longed for the day that they would be shown the door, and the Pubs would take over and truth, justice, and the American way would finally prevail in Georgia . . . not. Now we have more of the same, just under another name. Gov. Deal successfully witheld and sandbagged his personal financial situation until after the Pub run off and took that seat from someone who would have shined a bright light on bidness as usual under the Gold Dome. All the Pubs in the legislature supported Deal, of course. And the Speaker just set the tone for the new House by allowing himself to be bought by a high speed rail lobbyist with an all expenses paid family and friends vacation — and arrogantly challenged the complaints about it with a political non-answer about how he would not apologize for being with his family on Thanksgiving — which any one with a brain knows was not the issue. The Speaker is probably used to easily duping the voters in his north Georgia district with that kind of political “razzle dazzle” – but with the whole state closelsy watching now, he may need to up his game a bit. But, one thing you have to give King Roy and the Dems in charge under the Gold Dome, the state was moving forward at a fast pace during his administration. Georgia was hot location, the place to be, the capital of the New South. Under What Me Worry, Sonny Perdue, stagnation set in, and there is no end in sight. We have huge issues facing our state, which fell behind under Sonny, and the Speaker goes off on a family junket paid for by high speed rail — a good idea, but not a high priority during these difficult times. For me personally, the moral of the story is clear. Be careful what you wish for – you just might get it.
SallyForth
January 29th, 2011
11:36 pm
Man! You people never pass up an opportunity to kick a guy when he’s down. And the fact that Roy lost this past election will come back to haunt in your Republican-created nightmares.
Stop fawning over the GOP monopoly now running the state of Georgia long enough to actually read some of the bills they are introducing, study the “budget” and see how they are spending your tax dollars, plus how they are taxing you in order to give even more tax money to corporations in this state (yes, so-called “tax cuts” are actually tax give-aways and should be recognized as such).
Georgia has gone down-hill the last 8 years, and we are staring down the jaws of things getting much worse now that there is absolutely NO Democratic power to control or at least counter-balance their excesses. Those of you who voted for them deserve whatever they do – but I sure don’t!
Bud Adkison
January 30th, 2011
11:17 am
We the people decided with our vote for Gov. of Ga., that Old Roy was not the one we wanted. My vote was decided on the facts by all Parties and I was not paid a dime for my decision by no party, individual, or lobbyist.
Inman Park
January 31st, 2011
2:49 pm
Every Liberal loves the Supreme Court, except when they don’t.