Must-See Movie Review: Wealth of the Wicked – Money In Politics Is Destruction Of Democracy For Its People – SCOTUS Role Cannot Be Overstated

Must-See Movie Review: Wealth of the Wicked, Part 2 Of Dark Money Game Documentary: Money In Politics Is Destruction of Democracy For its People  – SCOTUS’ Role Cannot Be Overstated

Editor’s note: We previously reported on the plan released by Citizens United in order to reform the Supreme Court with new ethics rules to provide transparency for the country’s most important court.  

However, the question no one wants the American people to ask is (and that no one will answer if they do): How can spending money be expressing freedom of speech when free speech is an EQUAL RIGHT,  whereas people do not have equal amounts of money?  Consequently, by associating money with speech, equality under law and equal protection under the law becomes unimportant as far as the Court is concerned.  Big business can buy politicians AND Supreme Court justices  – and as this film demonstrates, they do.  In addition, advertising is more manipulation than just speaking.

For example, do you know what it is to “primary” a candidate? This is where a group, usually a Super PAC or PAC (a 501(c)4) donates millions or more into a campaign for the primary, often of a local government campaign.  This is what happened to Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri,  who were Progressive Democrat members of congress until the last election. A huge campaign donor or donors poured money into the primary contender for these Democrat candidates that the special interest group didn’t like, making one of them the most expensive primary in that district ever: according to People’s Dispatch, “Due to AIPAC spending on Bowman’s opponent, established Westchester politician George Latimer, Bowman’s unsuccessful reelection bid became the most expensive race in the history of the US Congress”  

Unfortunately, over 90% of elections are won by the candidate who raised the most money.  Why is this? Because the electorate has a persistent belief that ads on television aren’t there to manipulate you, but instead are as honest as the evening news.  This is as far from the truth as possible, mainly because of Citizens United, but also because advertisers are dishonest. They want you to buy something or hold a certain view, and they will lie to get you to do so.    

In addition, for some strange reason, there are absolutely no “Truth in Advertising” type laws for campaigns. Not that such laws really have any teeth or provide for much truth, but it gives the semblance of transparency and a legal basis for commercials and ads of all types.  But in politics,  whoever pays for the ad can lie and lie however much they want.  As long as the candidate doesn’t lie themselves in an ad, everything is fine.  But what was Citizens United? 

Outside of being what is commonly believed to be the worst decision ever issued by SCOTUS, this was also a decision that answered a question that wasn’t brought before the Court.  After arguments had been heard on a relatively minor case that insisted that an anti-Hilary Clinton documentary, which might have been considered propaganda as it was a partisan effort, something unique and odd occurred.  The question before the Court was whether a documentary should be protected as freedom of speech, so that it could be released during the election season.  

But then, Chief Justice Roberts decided that he wanted to hear arguments about a broader issue: campaign finance laws in general and overall. Specifically the law known as the McCain–Feingold Act or the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.  After the smoke cleared, America was left with a decision that fundamentally changed the way politics worked.  Bribes were now legal (and would become completely legal and above board after a different decision some time after CU). Any organization could give money to a campaign, in any amount, as long as they didn’t give it directly to the candidate.  They could instead form 501(c)4 organizations, whose board of directors and donors could remain secret.  These groups then funded and ran ads, usually attack ads.  This is, of course, because attack ads are exceptionally effective. Most voters just believe the ads and they never fact check them.  

Consequently, there becomes someone, some large donor, responsible for getting a politician elected.  And there are strings attached.  In the form of putting big businesses and corporations well above everyone else in an enormous way, paving the way for greater consolidation, monopolization, and business-favorable deregulation or regulation modifications.  

One thing you learn in the film is that the politicians know who the donors were, because they let them know.  In no uncertain terms: Do what we want and we’ll help you get reelected. Go against us and we’ll primary you.  

Advertisement

Keep in mind that the SCOTUS decision was not what the Court was asked to decide, and this Court has been responsible for some of the most historically worst decisions ever.  Next on the list, of course, was Dobbs, the landmark decision that made abortion ripe for new laws against it.  As of several months ago, 27 states had laws restricting abortion, in many cases severely.  

If you think it’s not because Christians want America to be only for them, wait until you learn what happened next (or concurrently as is the case). 

Sometime shortly after Roe v. Wade, the landmark case legalizing abortion came down, Christian leaders, especially evangelicals, got together to do something about it.  What was that something? Schmooze the Supreme Court.  Invite them to fancy dinners, take them on private jets, private yachts, expensive vacations, and the like, all the while plying their minds on the abortion issue. Repeating the mantra that abortion is murder no matter what. Writing the justices checks while wining and dining them. Making sure they understand that to keep the money flowing, they were going to have to decide to overturn Roe. 

After years and years of this essentially legal bribery, the Supreme Court disappointed about 75-80% of Americans who do not believe that abortion is a matter for government. In most cases it’s a medical decision between a woman and her doctor, and the new abortion laws have made childbirth, and particularly miscarriage, deadly again, just as it was before Roe. 

Why? Because in the states where abortion is most restricted, physicians won’t care for women who have miscarried.  In some instances, when there’s a miscarriage (which is an unexpected and in a sense unnatural occurrence), the uterus doesn’t expel the placenta.  When this happens, the woman can easily hemorrhage and die.  Many women around the US are dying in this way.  There are even instances where they themselves are arrested for having a miscarriage, and they can be prosecuted for murder.  While going through an incredibly traumatic experience of losing their baby.  

The person the interviewer spends a lot of time talking to is Rev Schenck. He helped form a Christian group to lobby the justices, he helped find out their schedules so there was always someone conveniently nearby to convince them to overturn Roe. This was a decades long effort.  And it finally paid off.  

But if you’ve heard that name before, then you know that once the choice came down, he had realized it was the wrong one.  He had made a mistake all those years in fighting against abortion.  He had let real people down.  

He tells of his epiphany moment.  He was arrested for laying on the ground in front of an abortion clinic, blocking the way.  While in the cell, he heard a woman screaming and crying all night. Where were her babies? Who was taking care of her babies?  And it began to dawn on him that he had an idyllic, fantastic view of what childbirth and motherhood are like in this country.  There aren’t rosy cheeked cherubim like nurses and nannies there to care for every woman who has a child.  The real world is a lot crueler than that.  

He realized how obtuse he’d been, not understanding that he would never have a child, and he could never understand what it is like.  He could not understand why someone might choose not to have a baby, and that it shouldn’t be a law.  But of course, it was too late.  

One real issue with the Supreme Court is that there’s no one to rein it in but itself.  If they benefit from bribes, they aren’t going to strike them down as unconstitutional; they’re going to uphold the status quo.  They’re going to refuse to create or abide by a code of ethics that would require them to report all monies given to them, including in the form of vacations, mansions, and private jets. And the justice they have in their hearts may not be very much if prior decisions are any indication.  We have discussed this issue in the past, both regarding ethics and abortion as establishing an official religion (since only ONE religion – Christianity – is against abortion in all instances). 

The first part in this docuseries, Ohio Confidential, is also excellent, and will be reviewed next week.  

This is a Must-See Movie, and I would give it five stars.  

Banner Image: Dark Money Game cover. Image Credit – HBO