'February 17, 2010

Polling reveals weak support for First Amendment
At WashingtonPost.com, "Poll: Large majority opposes Supreme Court's decision on campaign financing":


Americans of both parties overwhelmingly oppose a Supreme Court ruling that allows corporations and unions to spend as much as they want on political campaigns, and most favor new limits on such spending, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Eight in 10 poll respondents say they oppose the high court's Jan. 21 decision to allow unfettered corporate political spending, with 65 percent "strongly" opposed. Nearly as many backed congressional action to curb the ruling, with 72 percent in favor of reinstating limits.


The story casts the Citizens United ruling and the issue of a legislative response in partisan terms, as a dispute in which political parties have lined up and that's what matters.

Also, we don't see the immediately see the polling document, and do hope the pollsters asked: "Should Congress be able to make a law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances?"'