Money or Merit: What's Electing Our Political Leaders?

Duration
1:05:22

Money or Merit: What's Electing Our Political Leaders?


Bob Edgar, President and CEO, Common Cause

Jesse Choper, Earl Warren Professor of Public Law, UC Berkeley

Lawrence McQuillan, Director of Business and Economic Studies, Pacific Research Institute

John Diaz, Editorial Page Editor, San Francisco Chronicle - Moderator




Do our political leaders achieve their positions on merit, or are they buying them? After the Supreme Court ruled in January to permit both corporations and unions to promote and finance the campaigns of electoral candidates, many people, including the president, said that big business would now own and control politics. The issue appears to be polarized along party lines. Conservatives contend that prohibiting corporations from financing political campaigns is a violation of the First Amendment, and liberal politicians and policy groups have adamantly protested the ruling for giving equal representative rights to corporations and individuals. Dialogue is critical to fully understanding this thorny issue. Join The Club for a spirited debate on the ramifications, constitutionality and precedent of this landmark ruling.


This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club on October 11, 2010