Supreme Court Strikes Down Aggregate Campaign Contribution Limits

Old and busted lefty talking point: Citizen's United ruined America.

New hawtness: McCutcheon ruined America.

The Supreme Court struck down limits Wednesday in federal law on the overall campaign contributions the biggest individual donors may make to candidates, political parties and political action committees.

The justices said in a 5-4 vote that Americans have a right to give the legal maximum to candidates for Congress and president, as well as to parties and PACs, without worrying that they will violate the law when they bump up against a limit on all contributions, set at $123,200 for 2013 and 2014. That includes a separate $48,600 cap on contributions to candidates.

The $2,600 limit on donations to a single candidate wasn't touched by this decision but you have to think when a case challenging that comes up they will be struck down as well.

Basically what this means is that before today one Koch brother could basically donate $2,600 to 47 candidates ($2,600 x 47= $122,200). Now he can donate $2,600 to 535 candidates (435 in the House and 100 in the Senate).

This will make Harry Reid's head explode because he will ignore (publicly anyway) that Democrat mega-donors can do that same thing.

Personally, I agree with the notion that campaign contributions are speech and speech can't be regulated so I like this decision. I'd like it even more if I were a campaign consultant because a lot of money is going to be flowing into campaigns across the country.

posted by DrewM. at 11:00 AM

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