Keeping Politics in the Shadows

Be sure to check out the editorial in today's New York Times:

Free speech implies responsibility. The Supreme Court said earlier this year that corporations and unions have the First Amendment right to spend whatever they want on independent political ads, but many businesses don’t want the responsibility that comes with that new right. They want to make their unlimited donations anonymously so the public will not know who is flooding the airwaves. On Tuesday, the Republicans in the Senate voted to let them get away with it.

In a party-line vote, Senate Democrats were unable to break the Republican filibuster of the Disclose Act, which would have required the biggest contributors to identify themselves. The bill, which had already passed the House, will probably be revived later this year, but not in time to affect the Congressional campaigns — for which the big checkbooks are now being readied.

...by blocking the bill on Tuesday, opponents made clear that their real problem was disclosure itself. They want the right to poison the political atmosphere without being held accountable for their speech. During the coming onslaught, Tuesday’s vote will be worth remembering.