Carter: Unchecked contributions 'legal bribery'

[struggle4progress]

Published: July 17, 2013
Updated 11 hours ago
By RAY HENRY
Associated Press

... He said the U.S. Supreme Court made a "very stupid" decision by removing limits on independent campaign spending by businesses and labor unions, which the court found was a constitutionally protected form of political speech. The Democrat said that he and his Republican opponents used public financing to run their general election campaigns in 1976 and 1980 ...

"I would say that it's almost impossible for a candidate, like I was back in those early days or others even, to be considered seriously as a candidate to represent the Democratic or Republican parties as nominee if you can't raise $100 million or $200 million from contributors, many of whom know that they are making an investment in how they are going to be treated by the winner after the election is over," Carter said.

Carter said that while elections in the United States once set an example for the world, the country's reputation diminished in 2000 when the U.S. Supreme Court intervened in a Florida vote recount, effectively deciding the election in favor of Republican George W. Bush. He also criticized GOP-led state legislatures for changing polling hours in ways that Carter said were meant to frustrate likely Democratic voters ...

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/07/17/2586181/carter-unlimited-contributions.html

[burnodo]

1. Another tit-for-tat thread?

[struggle4progress]

2. File under current events: Carter spoke today at the Carter Center on campaign finance

This is an AP story about what he said