By Diane Vacca, VBI | When Stephen Colbert discovered that a South Carolina poll gave him a higher approval rating than candidate Jon Huntsman, the South Carolinian decided to grab the bull by the horns and run for president himself. The comedian went on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” to make a serious point about money in politics and Citizens United.
The laws governing campaign financing were radically altered by last year’s Supreme Court Citizens United decision. That decision allows Political Action Committees to accept unlimited contributions from individuals, unions, and corporations to promote issues and candidates. The donors may remain anonymous, but the decision prohibits the committees from coordinating with candidates.
Stephanopoulos asked Colbert if he believes the outcome of the 2012 presidential election will be based on how much money each candidate raises. In other words, whether dollars spent equals votes.
“No, replied Colbert. “It’s how much speech they can express, because money equals speech. It doesn’t matter if the speech comes from money or comes from your mouth,” he said, reflecting the Court’s reasoning.
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