For years left-wing activist have been complaining about money being the biggest problem in American politics. Right now, we do not have an elective democracy. The American political system is controlled by money. Candidates are judged not on whether they are electable, but by how much money they can raise. Barack Obama's success was partially down to the fact that he was able to raise large amounts of money, and even out raise Sen. John McCain. (Usually it's Democrats who are unable to keep up with Republican fundraising efforts.)
Obama took money from Wall Street and health care insurance companies, which probably explains why he was hesitant to reign in the excesses of the banking industry, and the reason why we got a watered-down health care bill. This is how it works in American politics. The voters have an idea, then corporations give millions of dollars to lobbyists who kill that idea.
Unfortunately, it cost millions of dollars to run a campaign, so politicians are dependant on campaign donations to put together an effective political team. Flyers, political advertising and campaign workers aren't free.
The Supreme Court's recent decision is a slap in the face of American voters. They have lifted the restrictions on campaigns by corporations, claiming it restricts free speech. Now corporations are free to spend millions, if not billions, to influence a campaign. We do not have democracy now, but are living in the age of corpotracy. There used to be a veil of pretense, but now it's out in the open.
In a further indication of the motivation behind this, the five judges who voted in favor were the same judges who ruled in favor of George W. Bush during the Florida recount court case.
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