JUAN GONZALEZ: Congressman, I'd like to ask you about another issue: campaign finance and the recent dispute between the Supreme Court Justice--Chief Justice John Roberts and the White House. At this year's State of the Union, President Obama openly criticized the Court's decision in the Citizens United case. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections. I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people. And I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps correct some of these problems. JUAN GONZALEZ: And earlier this week, Chief Justice John Roberts told law students in Alabama that he found the timing of the President's comments to be very troubling. CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS: The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering, while the Court, according to the requirements of protocol, has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling. And it does cause you to think whether or not it makes sense for us to be there. To the extent the State of the Union has degenerated into a political pep rally, I'm not sure why we're there. JUAN GONZALEZ: That was Chief Justice Roberts. Representative Kucinich, your response to both the President's statements and to Chief Justice Roberts's concerns? REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: Well, the Citizens United case was very controversial. The fact of the matter is that it gave corporations even more power to influence our political process, and this is one of the central problems in our democracy today. And, you know, the Supreme Court is the third branch of government. They should be at these grand pageants of democracy, which State of the Union addresses represent. And I don't think they should fear being there. I think that they should welcome an opportunity. And it's good for them to get feedback. I mean, it's important to come off a pinnacle once in awhile and just be with everyone else who's affected by the decisions that you make. So I think that the Chief Justice, with all respect, ought to lighten up a little bit and just realize that his presence there is very important. And if something's said that is somehow opposed to a decision that's made, it shouldn't bother him at all, because, frankly, he has the last word, unless Congress passes a constitutional amendment or the process starts in a state to amend the Constitution to correct the Supreme Court's decision. Supreme Court has a lot of power. When you have that kind of power, you surely should not be disturbed by criticism. Read more...
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections. I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people. And I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps correct some of these problems.
JUAN GONZALEZ: And earlier this week, Chief Justice John Roberts told law students in Alabama that he found the timing of the President's comments to be very troubling.
CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS: The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering, while the Court, according to the requirements of protocol, has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling. And it does cause you to think whether or not it makes sense for us to be there. To the extent the State of the Union has degenerated into a political pep rally, I'm not sure why we're there.
JUAN GONZALEZ: That was Chief Justice Roberts. Representative Kucinich, your response to both the President's statements and to Chief Justice Roberts's concerns?
REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: Well, the Citizens United case was very controversial. The fact of the matter is that it gave corporations even more power to influence our political process, and this is one of the central problems in our democracy today.
And, you know, the Supreme Court is the third branch of government. They should be at these grand pageants of democracy, which State of the Union addresses represent. And I don't think they should fear being there. I think that they should welcome an opportunity. And it's good for them to get feedback. I mean, it's important to come off a pinnacle once in awhile and just be with everyone else who's affected by the decisions that you make. So I think that the Chief Justice, with all respect, ought to lighten up a little bit and just realize that his presence there is very important. And if something's said that is somehow opposed to a decision that's made, it shouldn't bother him at all, because, frankly, he has the last word, unless Congress passes a constitutional amendment or the process starts in a state to amend the Constitution to correct the Supreme Court's decision. Supreme Court has a lot of power. When you have that kind of power, you surely should not be disturbed by criticism.
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We should be so lucky as to have a Chief Justice who was concerned with such issues as nationbuilding. Roberts concern it to see that any remaining restrictions on the unfettered exercise of corporate power vis a vis the federal government is overturned as expeditiously as possible. He and his four conservative colleagues literally went out of their way to seize upon a rather minor issue and use it to repudiate a century of law. The issue could and should have been decided on much narrower grounds. This was run amok radical conservative judicial activism.
We need billboards saying "Impeach John Roberts!" and the popular attitude to go with the message. As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
