January 28, 2010 07:00 AM
Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito Doesn't Like Obama's Criticism Of The Citizens United Case
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Here's Sam Alito's "Joe Wilson" moment during the State of the Union speech. When Obama cited the Citizens United v. FEC decision and voiced his concerns that it opened the nation up to the undue influence of special interests, watch Alito grimace and roll his eyes. He says something as well. John Aravosis, from whom we were tipped this video, reads it as "not true," although it's hard to tell from the angle.
Whatever the case, it was sweet to see all the justices sitting uncomfortably while all around them, the audience gave the President a standing ovation for criticizing them.
Thanks Obama, for calling out these corporatist, rule from the bench repukes!
Lip service. Corporatist pot calling corporatist kettle corporatist.
It's International Pot and Kettle.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
I thought it was General Utensils?
I mean what fantasy world does Alito live in? He appeared to lip "It's not true". This guy lives in lala land if believes that. Remove the jester-stooges who voted yes.
Goodnight, Frau Blücher
Obama is doing the best he can given the shiitpot
the conservatives left him with,
conservatives like the simpleminded Alito,
this guy, like roberts, has never been outside
of the lawyer collegiate setting in his entire life
these clowns know nothing of the real america the
rest of us live in, We need to give President Obama a chance
to overcome the hundreds maybe thousands of left over
conservatives in his own government sabotaging everything he does.
That an activist judge on the most activist Supreme Court in history - so much that they fear cameras exposing their activism - would take issue with the president's condemnation of such blatant attempts to legislate from the bench as Citizens United vs FEC.
Get used to it, Alito. Your name sits right next to Justice Taney as the worst nomination ever seated on the high court. History will remember you unfavorably along with all your partisan Republican colleagues.
since you obviously don't know what you're talking about. Alito was 100% right- what Obama said about foreign corporations now being able to influence elections is totally false and if you'd done some reading on the subject, you'd know that. It's not like Alito pulled a Joe Wilson- he simply mouthed it so that we could see his displeasure with an Obama falsehood without interrupting the speech.
check out the ruling. also check out the dissenting opinion.
________________
common sense matters as much as truth
You know you're trying to bullsh!t us, don't you? You're not that foolish, are you?
As to Alito vs. Wilson, the court is supposed to be non-partisan and thus is required by protocol to appear (as guests) at SOTU without either applauding or criticizing the Pres. Alito broke with that protocol, it's that simple.
So the fascists won the Supreme court victory and had to sit and listen to people applaud while they were criticized for it. That's a very small consolation prize. We have just lost. The corporations are about to what other part of the country that they don't already own. The Congress used to be in their pockets - now it will be in their stomachs. We're screwed.
Alan Grayson for President, Elizabeth Warren for Vice President, and Paul Krugman for Secretary of the Treasury!
alito shoulda not only failed to graduate law school
He shoulda failed to graduate kindergarten
Because he would insist he saw something significant
In his feces he smeared on the wall.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
What is Citizens United but a special interest group?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmwqnqL3Hbg
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
...the image of the virgin mary, perhaps?
At least five of the (so called) justices are asshats and corporate shills. The other four are running a close second.
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
raygun and bo0sh appointees.
________________
common sense matters as much as truth
"not true"...He said, "hot glue".
He must have been thinking arts and crafts.
SC should not be appointed by politicians, particularly for life, to begin with...there has to be a better way.
The court has become an extension of the two "parties" ideology.
Instead of unbiased interpretation of law.
I would for a start suggest limiting the supreme court justices to twelve years, which is three times as long as a representative, twice as much as a senator, at least four more than a two term president, and would be roughly the length of half a generation.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
I totally agree that life terms are not beneficial for many reasons .... onset and speed of individual mental deterioration is one.
Oliver Wendell Holmes made a deal with Felix Frankfurter (I think), that if either of them showed signs of dotage the other would let him know, and they would resign.
Finally, one day Frankfurter came to Holmes and said, "It's time."
And Holmes immediately wrote out his resignation letter.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Great story, but you were correct in thinking it might not have been Frankfurter. Holmes served on SCOTUS from December 4, 1902 to January 12, 1932 and Frankfurter served from January 20, 1939 to August 28, 1962.
Frankfurter was an associate with Hugo Black then. I'm a fan of Black too. But I'm at work now and away from my lawbooks to research who it may've been then.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
I agree with you, but I wanted to give them only six years, but the life time service have to go, 12 scares me because, remember the Republicons had congress for 12 years and look at the damage that they done to this country in that time frame, for 6 years they had to fight a little bit because of Clinton, then Bush came in power, then they did nothing but let Bush go on a spending spree, fuckour country up.
If the years are too few the concern was the jurists could be bribed to decide cases one way or the other, or there would be a revolving door between major litigents and justices unless you take them all the way to retirement age.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Litigants
I'm onna roll today.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
When congressmen leave the congress, they often go to work for big corporations that they used to favor with their votes. If they never retired, they would have less incentive to sell their votes for a fat retirement 'job.' Of course, the Supreme Court just sold the country to the megacorps, so so much for theory.
Alan Grayson for President, Elizabeth Warren for Vice President, and Paul Krugman for Secretary of the Treasury!
..would be somewhat better at least.
What I would like to see is it left to an entity similar to the ABA, if one could be composed, of law academics to nominate and vet appointees "and" appear before congress with their candidates during the process.
Hipefuly they would rule out any candidate that has exhibited ideological "activism" in undermining the basics of the constitution.
At one time if I am not mistaken the ABA had some formal imput but that disappeared during Bush II.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92cwKCU8Z5c
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
This partisan madness, as appossed to defining and interpreting law, has continually worsened every since Bush got into the White House via their method .... Kudos for Pres. Obama to make all aware of this wrongful, dangerous ruling .... this is our country and all have a right to know how it is governed.
The Supreme Court, from its inception, has always been an extension of political ideology, and has never followed the principle of unbiased interpretation of law. Indeed, one of the reasons we have nine justices is that its impossible to separate bias from judicial decision-making, especially where the issues confronting the justices are complicated and the law capable of multiple interpretations.
Seems to be completely ignoring him. This amuses me.
Scalia (and where was his puppy dog) Thomas?
making out in the cloakroom.
but she thinks that the ruling will also be problematic for the judiciary... not just for politicians.
John Grisham also wrote a book about this type of monetary influence on the judiciary in his excellent fictional book: The Appeal
Only when the last tree has died
and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught
will we realize we cannot eat money.
Finally the President acted like a President by calling these shallow individuals out. I only wish Scalia and Thomas were there!!!
COWARDS!!!
I love when he called out the activist in the supreme court, you hear the neocons say all the time when it comes to voting for a supreme court jutice, we don't want someone who is making laws from the bench, then they put two of them in the courts, Roberts and Alito, Alito didn't wanted to be exposed that is why he was shaking his head, and saying that's not true, but the proof is in the pudding, and we know who voted in favor of giving the big business the power to buy congress, white house, saudi arabia, and china even more power over the ppls.
Lobbyists For Foreign Corporations Begin Fight To Ensure Foreign Money Can Influence American Elections
Order of pudding is UP!
:)
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
in there and I'm in.
A high point for me also. Seeing people applauding after Obama slapped them around was very enjoyable.
There's no point passing a bill. What do you think McCain/Feingold was?
We need a Constitutional amendment barring this crap.
Sadly, we do need to put common sense back into our system - even more sad it needs to be spelled out to any citizen especially to our SCOTUS.
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
I think that may be the only way.
"Only human beings born into the world shall enjoy the status of personhood and rights pertaining thereto. People shall be the sole entities enjoying this status. Further, lack of this status shall not exempt businesses, organizations and institutions from liability for their acts under civil and criminal law."
... will bitch about 'born into the world,' of course.
The right-to-life crowd believes life begins at orgasm.
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
makes me feel like I was born again.
I always called them sperm worshippers.
Drives em nuts.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
That means I've made three children in the last 12 hours.
How will I ever afford all these kids?
With each ejaculation containing potentially thousands of spermatazoa
You must have a pretty watery discharge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3ho_VWslkM
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
watery discharge
For want of a few miles, that could have been John McCain's exit from the military, and saved the country a mess of grief.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
It's how they discharge seamen from the Navy.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
That women sitting about 5 seats to his left, was anticipating a reaction? I don't know who she is?
O'Connor Decries Republican Attacks on Courts
Looks like for the most part, AndyK was correct... "O'Connor wasn't who Reagan thought she was when he appointed her"
Study the symptoms not the virus...
O'Conner needs to STFU. She was part of the problem. This Reagan appointee was after all the swing vote that voted with the other 4 Republican appointed conservative activist judges that threw an American election for the Republicans and inflicted George W. Bush on America for 8 years. There's a special place in hell for O'Connor for the damage her decision did on this country and the suffering it has caused to people both at home and across the globe.
She did it for her own selfish reasons too - she was thinking about retiring and she didn't want Gore to pick her replacement.
Naturally this morning Fox was tsk tsk-ing the president for making the justices uncomfortable. Fu*k, some of the justices have been making all of us uncomfortable for a couple of years now.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
... seeing the four dissenting justices rise and join in the applause. It is not their fault that the conservative wing of the court consists of five highly-corrupt corporate whores.
I would have had mixed feelings. The more raw me would have loved it but simply out of respect for my co-workers - even those I don't respect, I would have stayed seated.
I'd have done it too. Never hurts to call out the evil bastard, even if he's your co-worker. It's not like they have to sit together in the cafeteria or something.
I thought they were all so uncomfortable there because the dresses itched.
but of course if it happened, the right would have a fit & compare it to Joe Wilson's outburst.
There are many folks who believe in a supreme judge... from that point downward it's just a matter of interpretation. IMO
Study the symptoms not the virus...
At least Australia was smart enough to throw Rupert Murderer out of its country, then he get cictizenship in America and is trying to destroy the American way, Now he is letting Saudi prince buy more stock in his no news corporation, so now we have one foreigner that owns news corp, selling stock to another foreigner the saudi prince so they can have power over the American Media, how in the hell do that work, no wonder our media have went to hell.
..that their ruling was a natural extension of the 1st Amendment for people to SIMPLY engage in politics. There is nothing a corporation "SIMPLY" does, ergo, how can they be included in the decision as a "person"? Just sayin'
Mickey: "It was an epiphany. Do you know what an epipany is?"
Keoni: "NOT NOW MICKEY!"
Situation Normal, All Fooked Up
The way I understand the SCOTUS ruling is that corporations have the same constitutional rights as citizens. Someone needs to run a corporation as a candidate in an election. I would love to hear a court explain why a corporation is an individual when donating money, but not an individual when running for office.
or get married, or register to vote
and alito shouldnt just have been scolded...he should be impeached, tried, convicted and shot for treason
he just handed the usa to foreign interests
Alito, Roberts, Scalia, & Thomas will be at the top of their lists... and those stupid assholes will wonder why the people don't like them.
When are "We the People" going to start "EXERCISING our RIGHT to CONSENT" instead of whining, complaining & petitioning? www.RIGHTtoCONSENT.com
Mussolini loved him some corporations, too.
That's got a nice ring to it. I bet if you sent mail to Sam Mussolito, the US Postal Service would deliver it to the right place. "Bring 'em in boys! Here they are, thousands of letters, all addressed to Mussolito!"
... were just aghast (and shocked and dismayed!) that Obama called out the smiling young fascists on the Extreme Court. Why, Sammy the Thug has more legal knowledge in his nail clippings than this fancy-talking community organizer from Chicago has in his entire mushy liberal cranium! How dare he! Where's the respect? Blah blah blah ... (I've deduced that Politico is mostly a rightie-GOP site and is populated with lots of raving Teabagger types who can barely type a coherent sentence.)
Screw Alito and this corporatist court. As far as I'm concerned, this latest decision neatly and tragically bookends the horrible eight-year interregnum that began with the installation of Wanton Boy by judicial fiat in 2000.
Literarily yours,
BID
So if a corporation has first ammendment rights, shouldn't they also have a maximum contribution limit of $2400 per election (and/or have to follow the other various contribution limits placed on individuals)?
The ruling was not with regards to donations to specific candidates. The ruling stated that corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money to support a candidate. So this means that Exxon Mobil can spend some of it's money on TV ads and what not. They still cannot specifically give money to a candidate.
That sounds like a distinction without a difference to me...
I think what Alito meant was that it was not true that "the Supreme Court" ruled the way Obama said it did...but that "only 5 of us did".
Thanks for the clarification, Sammy.
As am Italian American I really hope that no Italian American is ever again appointed to the SCOTUS.
The only two have not simply been a disappointment, they've been a complete and utter disaster for the nation.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
I agree that life terms should be abolished, but I don't think it's fair to tar all the justices with the same brush. Justices Bader Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Stevens and Breyer all voted against the overturn of the ban, and deserve credit for doing so.
Quoting from abc news:
Justice John Paul Stevens, in a dissenting opinion joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor, said the court's decision "operates with a sledge hammer rather than a scalpel" and warned that it may "undermine the integrity of elected institutions across the nation.
"The court's opinion is thus a rejection of the common sense of the American people," Stevens wrote, "who have recognized a need to prevent corporations from undermining self-government since the founding and who have fought against the distinctive corrupting potential of corporate electioneering since the days of Theodore Roosevelt."
Exactly.
the point i'm trying to make is that i dont see Antonin Scalia there? did he opt out of coming?
your name's Lebowski, Lebowski... and your wife is Bunny
i'm confused -- violation of service? NOT! post edits self?
your name's Lebowski, Lebowski... and your wife is Bunny
Did anyone catch earlier on in the SOTU Eric Cantor saying "Bullcrap after bullcrap" when Obama was referring to jobs iniatives and Child Tax credits.
This Supreme court has too many worthless Reslugs on the court making devastating, uncaring decisions for our country.
by interpreting the Constitution they can declare corporations around the world can influence American politicians by unlimited contributions for or against them freely to the American people.
points out in his article about this incident, the supreme court justices (and joint chiefs) customarily show no reaction, because of the importance of their being - and appearing to be - apolitical.
So it isn't so much what he said, but the fact that he reacted at all. The other justices weren't sitting uncomfortably, they were being dispassionate and apolitical.
Of course, Greenwald also points out that the justices have been increasingly political lately...
Thank you President Obama.
I don't think Obama went far enough. He should have referred to the lot of them as the "Nine Nutty Professors."
"Respect for the rights of others is peace." --Benito Juarez
Not 9!
Alan Grayson for President, Elizabeth Warren for Vice President, and Paul Krugman for Secretary of the Treasury!
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