Bill Maher called out wealthy liberals and told them to get in the game before the right wing billionaires take over our entire government.
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After talking about North Carolina and Art “The Koch Brother from Another Mother” Pope, Maher made his plea:
Until recently, rich a**holes like this just used their money to buy a Ferrari, splurge on hookers, and then kill them. And that’s the America that I like to remember. But in 2010, the Supreme Court issued their infamous Citizens United ruling, which raised the amount people could give to political campaigns from a few thousand to infinity. It’s why I was able to give Obama’s PAC a million bucks. It’s why Sheldon Adelson was able to spend $150 million against Obama, and it’s what has allowed a guy that Art Pope, on the local level, to hijack an entire state and impose the laws that he wants. Crazy laws that 4/5 of the people there don’t want, but it doesn’t matter what, it’s what Art Pope wants.
In the post Citizens United world it’s no longer our ideas versus their ideas, or even our base against their base. It’s our super rich versus their super rich, and their’s are winning. But who? Who? Who on our team?
(Camera pans to Jay Z)
Who on our team has that kind of money? Who might want to buy a state? I don’t know if there’s anyone out there who has done it all, and would like some new thing to brag about. Own a state. It’s my fate. It’s great. I’m just saying the rhymes practically write themselves. Daft Punk got lucky. I just bought Kentucky. So come on rich liberals, pony up. Steven Spielberg, you should be taking over Wyoming right now. For a mere $150 million, you can kick out Dick Cheney and his evil daughter, make it a liberal utopia, and put E.T. on the state flag. Tyler Perry you could buy Montana, make yourself both senators, and Medea the governor. And how great will it be when gay people can get married in Oprahoma?
As much as it pains me to say it, because I want Citizens United gone, Bill Maher had a really good point. The wealthy left isn’t as involved as the wealthy right. There is a whole lot of money on the left, but the Democratic supporting super PACs were dwarfed by the amount of money the right wing conservative billionaires dumped into the presidential campaign in 2012.
Where the Citizens United money makes the most difference is in congressional and state elections. Republicans are winning elections because they are able to dump millions and millions of outside dollars into elections on behalf of Republicans. Those dollars buy things like Scott Walker’s dismantling of worker rights in Wisconsin. Rick Snyder’s hostile take over of democracy in Michigan. A House of Representatives that blocks President Obama’s agenda while serving corporate interests at every turn. At the state level, ALEC written legislation on that steals voting rights and abortion rights is the norm in red states.
The wealthy left has been content to sit on the sidelines, but Democrats need them to match the passion, intensity, and dollars of the wealthy right. Rich Democrats can’t afford to wait. When they see an opening like Alison Grimes leading Mitch McConnell in two polls, they have to pounce on that opening and start spending dollars. Grassroots efforts aren’t good enough. Democrats need their wealthy liberals to stand up.
I am confident that eventually, we will rid ourselves of Citizens United.
Until then we must fight fire with fire, and take back our government one state at a time.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
