Our liberal friends have had spasms over Citizens United since the day the Supreme Court announced the ruling in 2010. Citizens United held that the free speech guarantee in the Constitution means that corporations (and several other entities) cannot be limited by the courts in what they can spend on political campaigns.
Get money out of politics! That became the liberal cry.
Until they embraced money in politics, bigly, as somebody might say, with liberal-aligned entities squandering around $200 million on campaigns in 2020, and demonstrating in the process that money doesn’t buy elections in the U.S. The Wall Street Journal writes about the lavish millions that Democrats spent on the elections just completed (or semi-completed)—to no avail:
How many crisp, green Ben Franklins did Democrats light on fire trying to sweep the elections? The three most expensive congressional campaigns ever, according to preliminary data at OpenSecrets.org, were this year’s Senate races in North Carolina, Iowa and South Carolina, all of which the GOP appears to have held, though the first still hasn’t been called.
The figures aren’t final, but at last count the Democratic candidates in those states raised $200 million. That includes $108 million in South Carolina, as Jaime Harrison broke the all-time record. Add $88 million for Kentucky, where Democrats fantasized about taking out Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In those four states alone, the Democratic contenders outraised the Republicans by a combined $116 million.
Overall, the 2020 elections will cost $14 billion, Open Secrets projects. That might sound like a big number, but it’s in the realm of what Americans spend on sports drinks during an 18-month political campaign. Democrats typically equate money in politics with corruption. But this year they dominated the money game, up and down the ballot, while placing some bad bets. Mr. McConnell is winning by 21 points. South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham is up 10.
Michael Bloomberg’s vast expenditure in Florida didn’t buy that state for the Democrats. Likewise, Maine senatorial challenger Sara Gideon’s $64 million war chest proved ineffective in retiring popular Senator Susan Collins. If money were all it takes, Senator Beto O’Rourke of Texas would have retired Ted Cruz.
Citizens United was a big winner the 2020 elections. Sure, money matters, but it is not the determining factor. Citizens United was right to respect First Amendment rights (and, hey, in a pandemic year, some of that political spending had to be helpful to the economy!).