Conservative group put historic mark on campaign finance system
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Whatever its influence on the Republican primary race next year, the advocacy organization Citizens United is already a part of political history.
Record levels of campaign spending are attributable in large part to a landmark 2010 decision by the Supreme Court -- a case formally known as Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and a constant source of political dispute.
Ruling in a lawsuit that centered on a Citizens United documentary that criticized Hillary Clinton, a narrowly divided court ruled that the government cannot restrict independent political expenditures by non-profit corporations.
In the program for a Republican forum Saturday in upstate South Carolina, the organization said that "the Supreme Court sided with Citizens United and upheld the First Amendment rights of individuals participating in the political process."
President Obama, one of the decision's most outspoken critics, says the ruling has allowed "big companies" to pour "unlimited amounts of money" into U.S. elections.
"With each new campaign season, this dark money floods our airwaves with more and more political ads that pull our politics into the gutter," Obama said in January on the fifth anniversary of the fateful Supreme Court decision.
These days, Citizens United , which describes itself as "the leading conservative advocacy group in the country with over 500,000 members and supporters," is seeking to influence the Republican nomination process with a series of campaign forums.
Saturday's "Freedom Summit" at a performing arts center in downtown Greenville follows similar forums in Iowa and New Hampshire, which also host early primary contests next year.
Citizens United President David Bossie -- the prime mover behind the documentary at the heart of the 2010 high court case -- hosted the South Carolina event along with U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C.
In a welcoming statement, Bossie and Duncan said the Citizens United forums are designed to promote "pro-growth economics, social conservatism, and a strong national defense."
They added that the summit "will be a launch point for conservative ideas as we head towards 2016."
Citizens United will certainly have enough money, thanks to the court case that bears its name.