How the Democrats should approach yesterday's Supreme Court Ruling

The 5-4 Supreme Court ruling yesterday, overturning a century-long ban on direct corporate political contributions, will have a devastating effect on American democracy. Corporate treasuries will be used to flood the airwaves with ads favoring candidates most closely aligned with corporate interests, including Wall Street, big oil, and all the rest. Of course, corporate interests already have immense power and influence over American politics, but there were long standing safeguards against total plutocratic control over the system, dating back to 1907. After yesterday's decision, those safeguards and limits have been removed. Let the floodgates open!

Democrats clearly are the obvious short-term losers. But longer-term, it is our very democracy that is at stake. Whether one leans to the left, right, or center, the prospects of a political system completely in the hands of corporate money is a frightening prospect.

As Democrats face an onslaught of populist rage over a growing government, bank bailouts, and insider deals, they would be very wise to center their platform in 2010 on passing legislation that will limit the reach of corporate money, as far as is legally possible, and on passing a constitutional amendment restoring previous legal precedent, for the longer term.

Such a strategy is a political no-brainer. Democrats clearly have the most to lose if corporate money is allowed free reign in electoral politics. Republicans clearly have the most to gain. But how will voters view Republican resistance to legislative and/or constitutional overturning of yesterday's ruling? How could Republicans possibly run on a populist anti-government, anti-big business platform, if they are seen as the party aiding and abetting the corporate takeover of our democratic political system.

It's truly a win-win for Democrats--if they're smart enough to run on it. Either Republicans come on board in an effort to restore the democratic balance in place since 1907, or they oppose legislation and a constitutional convention, exposing them as the populist frauds they truly are.