Written by Joe Tetreault | 24 February 2010

My soon to be former senior Senator, affectionately known around the blog as Lame Duck Dodd, has a jim dandy of an idea. He's proposed a constitutional amendment overturn the recent Supreme Court decision that effectively gutted Campaign Finance Reform. I'm in favor of the Supreme Court's correct application of the free speech provision of the first amendment to corporations and their concurrence with previous precedent that political contributions are protected speech. (Buckley v. Valeo) So what says the Dodder?

"I strongly disagree with the Supreme Court's conclusion that money is speech, and that corporations should be treated the same as individual Americans when it comes to protected, fundamental speech rights"

I invite serious journalists to ask Senator Dodd if he believe corporations like the New York Times Corp. deserve to enjoy the free press rights that are extended to individuals. There is something reminiscent of 1984 in proposing a constitutional amendment that codifies the Congressional power to regulate speech that the first amendment specifically protects from Congressional restrictions. Beyond that, though, gaining the agreement of 67 senators, 290 representatives and 38 state on a bill that libertarians, conservatives, corporations and labor unions (if they're smart) will rail against is a fool's errand. No wonder they gave it to Dodd.

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