In the article, A Quest to End Spending Rules for Campaigns, the New York Times wrote about a “lonely Quixote tilting at the very idea of regulating political donations as an affront to free speech” named James Bopp Jr. Bopp is the man who convinced Citizens United to use Hillary the Movie as a deliberate test of the limits of campaign finance law—with an eye toward seeing the case end up in the Supreme Court.

“We had a 10-year plan to take all this down,” he said in an interview. “And if we do it right, I think we can pretty well dismantle the entire regulatory regime that is called campaign finance law.”

“We have been awfully successful,” he added, “and we are not done yet.”

The next item on Bopp’s agenda is to challenge disclosure requirements, so that American citizens will be bombarded by campaign ads financed by interests that can’t be identified.

“Groups have to be relieved of reporting their donors if lifting the prohibition on their political speech is going to have any meaning,” he said. Requiring groups that buy political commercials to report their donors is almost as punitive, he said, “as an outright criminal go-to-jail-time prohibition.”

The success of Bopp’s one-man quest has been spectacular—nothing less than the overturn of a century of Supreme Court precedent by an activist, corporatist, corrupt group of conservative judges currently serving on the High Court. The decision should come as no surprise, considering that a similarly constituted court overturned the very Constitution itself by choosing the American president in 2000.

Progressives should be asking themselves “Where’s our  Mr. Bopp?” Or better still, “How can I  be a Mr. Bopp?”

If one person can turn the country upside down on the conservative side—using only time and careful planning as his primary tools—then progressives should be able to do the same thing on the people’s behalf.

The genius of Mr. Bopp’s coup is that it strikes at the very heart of our democracy, essentially making the citizen’s voice irrelevant. There’s little doubt that congress will counter the court’s ruling with new campaign finance legislation. Their jobs are at stake, and we have a president who is visibly outraged by the decision. But the fact that a single individual could bring our country to the brink in this way should be instructive.

Progressives need to do more than react to bad presidents and bad policy. We need to do more than stand up for principle. We need to cultivate in ourselves a little of Mr. Bopp’s talent for long-range planning, patience, persistence, and above all his understanding for what makes this country tick. If we want to create a truly progressive future, we need to get out ahead of the curve in the same way our conservative counterparts always manage to do—but on behalf of the American people, rather than the money and authoritarians so well served by James Bopp Jr.

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javaz
Member

James Bopp, Jr. is a prominent pro-life and conservative attorney. He has served as the general counsel for National Right to Life since 1978 and as the special counsel for Focus on the Family since 2004.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bopp

Let me guess what Bopp will take to the SCOTUS eventually – overturning Roe vs Wade?

bito
Member

Another one of Mr. Bopp’s cases:
Petition for Full Court Rehearing Filed in Real Truth About Obama v. FEC

http://www.jamesmadisoncenter.org/

javaz
Member

Wow, another amazing piece, Nellie!
I’ve never heard of this guy, but it’s a good thing to be aware of him and machinations.

escribacat
Member

Nellie, Are you sure you’re not a writer for The Nation? Excellent article. I’ve never heard of this guy. Why isn’t this type of thing reported in the MSM? I really don’t understand it. Is it laziness or censorship on their part.

Meanwhile, I agree that we seem to be lacking this type of “activist” on the left. I wonder what his motivation is, and whose payroll he is on.

whatsthatsound
Member

I see Dr. Suits’ next offering.

See Bopp.
Stop Bopp!
Make Bopp Flop!

escribacat
Member

😆 I keep thinking Hail Bopp!

whatsthatsound
Member

Bopp is Prop of GOP.

boomer1949
Member

Whatsie my dear,

Please start now to develop the appropriate artwork…you and Dr. Suits + that God Guy, are a major team! Just don’t forget us “little people” and I’m not referring to…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INpR7GRzFNc

How’s your weekend so far?

O-H-I-O! I know, you’ve not been here for awhile, yet I enjoy messing with you! 🙂

whatsthatsound
Member

Hi Boomer,

Weekend is good, but a working one. Bizzy bizzy.
Me and the good Dr. are already thinking about how we can collaborate in the future. There will be more, promise!

AdLib
Admin

Wonderful article, Nellie!

I don’t think Bopp should be given so much credit though, anymore than the belligerent anti-abortion extremists should be if an anti-abortion majority was in the SCOTUS and they appealed a case to them.

Deconstructing what happened, once the SCOTUS had a pro-corporate Repub majority, it was only a matter of time until someone would appeal a case to them and have them agree to consider it and of course, find in its favor.

He is not a genius or some remarkable architect. If we were fortunate enough to get a Dem majority in the SCOTUS, then Dems will find a case to appeal up to them to reverse this obscenity called a ruling.

Until then, there isn’t much we can do through the SC, they would rule 5-4 against any opposing case.

This will need to be addressed in Congress and immediately, before the 2010 elections really begin.

KQµårk 死神
Member

First let me just answer the question you put forward.

Huge money the root of all our problems was behind ending these campaign finance laws. Money is an organizing force unto itself because you can just hire people to do anything whereas any grassroots efforts requires much of the work to be done by part time volunteers.

Apathy is another problem because while people don’t want corporations to take over government they are resigned to the fact that they cannot do anything about it because corporate control of government is the one of the few self sustaining downward spirals that is not hyperbole. The more control they get the less likely it will be reversed and we could be past that tipping point.

Americans are a reactionary people. For Americans to take problems like this to the street times need to be much much worse. I read a great article on the huge increase in income inequality that has brought us back to the twenties. The tax cuts for the rich philosophy remains and cause this income inequality that is destroying the middle class. People have allot of angst but the direction is at each other instead of towards the corrupt system. The teabaggers have it all wrong with wanting tax cuts when raising taxes on the rich is our only solution.

Article from DailyKOS.

dftt

SanityNow
Member

depressingly true KQ.

here is a recent article supporting your thesis:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8474611.stm

boomer1949
Member
bito
Member

Well hush my mouth. :-). I guess I just get lazy with all the great people here furnishing links, like you boomer!

boomer1949
Member

bito,

When I saw the Jo Ann Davidson connection? I was “blinded by the light” — 😉

bito
Member

Boomer, does Jo Ann Davidson hold an office in O-H-I-O ? Should I know about her?

boomer1949
Member

bito,

Sorry for the delay. I’ve been commenting to dear nellie and was carried away. Will be back in a few to give you more info. 🙂

boomer1949
Member

joann davidson…

To the best of my knowledge Ms. Davidson no longer holds an office in “go Bucks” O-H-I-O. That said, she has been around for a very long time (I even voted for her in the past). This is what popped up at the top of a Google search:

http://www.jadleadershipinstitute.com/

And then there is John Kasich running for the GOP nominee for Governor, and I hate to say it, Strickland may not stand a snowball’s chance for a second term. John K., on the other hand, is younger, more appealing, heck I loved the guy twenty years ago 😉 I knew where he stood then, but now, I’m not so sure. Yet, I really don’t think he is a Neo-Con RW Republican.

john kasich…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kasich

I no longer live in the district and he has been out of the mainstream for quite some time. So, my opinion is based on where he was and not where he is.

BigDogMom
Member
BigDogMom

Thanks nellie, this guy is a one man recking ball to our voting rights…is there any way to stop him?

And, who is financing him?

Edit: Just answered my second question:

http://www.muckety.com/James-Bopp-Jr/8539.muckety

bito
Member

BDM. quick search:
Mr. Bopp is a busy guy

http://www.jamesmadisoncenter.org/

U.S. Supreme Court Prevents Release of Referendum Petitions in Washington

Today, a full panel of the Supreme Court of the United States, in an 8-1 vote, issued an order preventing the Washington Secretary of State from releasing the names, addresses, and other personal information of over 138,000 individuals that signed a referendum petition that seeks to protect traditional marriage in Washington.

where are the laws for public records now? Gone?

BigDogMom
Member
BigDogMom

Wow, what happened to the freedom of information act?

See my link up above to see who this guy is connected to….someone is financing him and it’s the Christian Fundies who have very deep pockets.

bito
Member

Mom, I looked at that site. that guy is something else! That is a good site. I found nothing on him in source watch, he seems to fly below the radar.
C&P that site to my keeper list. Thanks.

Weird aside: He went to I.U. the same time I did! I may have heard of him then, but then I was with the SDS! The other side. 🙂

boomer1949
Member

Jo Ann Davidson? She is from my state and an accomplice to this crap?

Keep an eye out for John Kasich. He intends to run for Governor of OH. He was my Congressman many years ago and had an enormous backing. I even liked him. However, given all the nonsense we’ve seen of late, I wouldn’t be surprised if he isn’t being funded behind the scenes. John and Jo were from the same district for a very long time, and I can’t imagine they aren’t friends at some level.

bito
Member

nellie, I may comment later, but a heads up! Your link does not go to the article. On purpose?