Buying Votes Protected Free Speech? Money = Free Speech (illegal, drugs, poll)

[KrazeeKrewe]

Is Buying Votes Protected Free Speech?

Since SCOTUS says that money is free speech, then Buying Votes is Protected Free Speech?

If money is free speech, then a candidate handing me the largest pile of free speech to get my vote or pay me not to vote for someone else.

It should be legal for a candidate to buy votes or pay people not to vote.

Republicans spent over $200 per voter in the Iowa caucus on negative adds. They should have just gave me $200 to not vote for their opponent.

Money = Free Speech

Handing me a hand full of cash is the same as asking me to vote for you.

[StillwaterTownie]

Surely election laws prohibit buying votes.

[KrazeeKrewe]

It's time someone took vote buying to SCOTUS, because I would not mind getting paid to vote. It is about time us citizens got some of those huge campaign funds instead of the bias media. The media just frames the news in favor of the candidate who spends the most with their organization.

[Arjay51]

Well, that may explain those intending to vote for Obama. He has raised more money than any other Presidential candidate in history and blinded his followers, or bought them, with this fact while driving the country to bankruptcy.

[skoro]

Yes, according to the conservo-dominated supreme court, money = free speech.

But who can argue with the extended logic that more money = more freedom in almost any context?

[GregW]

We were bankrupt way before President Obama. He has just kept us afloat instead of letting the economy sink into Great Depression II. It may be illegal for politicians to actually pay voters (we tried that once and it didn’t work out very well Cook county Ill was a good example) but it is not illegal for corporations to buy legislative votes with campaign contributions or stock market tips.

Free Speech does not = free votes. Votes have always been expensive.

[KrazeeKrewe]

Now political organizations can hold block parties where they hand out booze, drugs & money for people who get on the bus that will transport them to the poll to vote for their candidate.

[KrazeeKrewe]

Free Speech = Money = Property

Boston court ruled that occupation of property is not entitled to First Amendment protection.

[mhouse2001]

How about we get $20 in a tax deduction when we vote in an election, be it national or local? Would that be enough to get voter participation up? Should we pay people to do their civic duty?

But, back to the subject at hand... remove money from politics and elections. Fund elections publicly and disallow any corporate and personal donations. That is the only thing that will fix it.

[KrazeeKrewe]

Originally Posted by mhouse2001

How about we get $20 in a tax deduction when we vote in an election, be it national or local? Would that be enough to get voter participation up? Should we pay people to do their civic duty?

But, back to the subject at hand... remove money from politics and elections. Fund elections publicly and disallow any corporate and personal donations. That is the only thing that will fix it.

The US Supreme Court says no way, that is unconstitutional. Money is free speech & protected by the first amendment.

Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit

Overruling two important precedents about the First Amendment rights of corporations, a bitterly divided Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections.