Readers React: The ‘dangerous’ liberal dislike of Citizens United was one vote shy of being ‘right’

To the editor: On the one side you have law professor John O. McGinnis’ opinion that “money is speech,” relying on the bare majority of the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2010 Citizens United case. (“Liberals are dangerously wrong about Citizens United: Money is speech,” Opinion, May 20)

On the other side you have the 90-page dissent in the Citizens United case, in which four of the Supreme Court Justices joined, and in which Justice John Paul Stevens made a compelling argument that the bare majority’s ruling in that case no less than “threatens to undermine the integrity of the elected institutions across the Nation.”

Thus, the “liberal pundits” criticized by McGinnis were within one vote among nine of being “right.” Hence, if those liberal pundits were “wrong,” they were wrong by the slimmest of margins.

Joel McCabe Smith, Los Angeles

The writer is a lawyer.

..

To the editor: I’ve never understood the point of the “money isn’t speech” mantra. Does money automatically fall under federal jurisdiction because it isn’t mentioned in the 1st Amendment? Wouldn’t we concede a great deal of life to government control, using that standard?

Many liberals, of course, can’t get enough government and would happily stifle dissent to make room for more. But the founders inconveniently chose not to grant freedom of speech to a changeable roster of individuals or groups, instead naming one group — Congress — and forbidding it from restricting speech for anyone.

Finding cracks in a law stated so simply requires rhetorical contortions bordering on the absurd. You’d almost think the founders saw today’s speech police coming.

Michael Smith, Cynthiana, Ky.

..

To the editor: There is no argument that money is speech. The argument is more basic: Is a corporation equal to a person? The answer, I believe, should be taken from the position of voting.

Can a corporation cast a vote by walking into a voting booth or sending in an absentee ballot? If not, then they and all the groups McGinnis would grant voting privileges are not granted the right.

Ordinary people don’t own newspapers. Ordinary people are deluged by reporting that propels us into the wars that rich people don’t send their children into.

Once upon a time there were people who debated. Now there are pundits who believe “free citizens in all their variety” could save enough to debate the Koch brothers and George Soros. This “civil society” has giants that don’t act like friends.

Steve Mattern , Corona

..

To the editor: Someone should tell McGinnis that “where popular opinion stands on a given issue” comes out of the polling booth. What comes out of checkbooks of the wealthy are bribes.

Mark A. Stern, Westlake Village

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook