Citizens United: The (Quiet) Money Machine

The Tea Party’s carefully constructed populist veneer hides an organization addicted to the corporate largess resulting from insider deals, special favors, and biased legislation. One needs only consider the Tea Party’s large middle-class following to understand the corrupting influence of oceans of corporate cash and the ability it affords wealthy contributors to recast themselves as benefactors of America’s working class. The US Chamber of Commerce says that the foreign money flowing into its organization will not impact its view of pending trade legislation. The Koch brothers, having fought against any legislation designed to protect the physical and financial health of working people, spend millions funding Tea Party efforts to delegitimize government.

“America's conservative elites have openly thrown in with the country's legions of discontented far right thugs. They have explicitly deputized them and empowered them to act as their enforcement arm on America's streets, sanctioning the physical harassment and intimidation of workers, liberals, and public officials who won't do their political or economic bidding.” Sarah Robinson, Fascist America: Are We There Yet?