In Republican Race, a New Breed of Superdonor

Mr. Simmons’s contributions — all told, he has given more than $14 million to Republican super PACs so far this cycle — make him the exemplar of a new breed of superdonor in presidential politics. About two dozen individuals, couples or corporations have given $1 million or more to Republican super PACs this year, an exclusive club empowered by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision and other rulings to pool their money into federal political committees and pour it directly into this year’s presidential campaign.

Collectively, their contributions have totaled more than $50 million this cycle, making them easily the most influential and powerful political donors in politics today. They have relatively few Democratic counterparts so far, with most of the leading liberal donors from past years giving relatively small amounts — or not at all — to the Democratic super PACs.

And unlike in past years, when wealthy donors of both parties donated chiefly to groups that were active in the general election campaign, the top Republican donors are contributing money far earlier, in contests that will determine the party’s presidential nominee.

“What unites them? They’re economic conservatives,” said Christopher J. LaCivita, a Republican strategist who helped advise Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a forerunner of this cycle’s super PACs, and who in 2008 co-founded another Republican advocacy group, the American Issues Project, that ran advertisements against President Obama.

From seed article

In other words, the super rich trying to purchase government for the purpose protecting themselves. Economic conservatism is just another term for the non regulation dogma of the Republican Party, the same type of non regulation that made the 2008 recession and Great Depression possible. When you consider the Koch brothers, ALEC, Big Oil, Big Coal, this means undermining all efforts to protect air, water and food quality, undermine efforts to address global warming, etc.... In other words, the corporate rape, pillage and plunder of the environment.

We must find a way to overturn the Citizens United Supreme Court decision. That will require legislation, and that will require a DEMOCRAT majority in both houses of congress. I am at a point to challenge the idea that Citizens United was a random accident. With Supreme Court judges attending conventions at Koch brother institutes, direct corporate influence on that decision is a real possibility. To be precise, judges being bought - which raises the possibility of impeachment being necessary. The Citizens United decision to "pimp out" our democracy to the highest bidder is way, way, way too convenient for the Super Pacs emerging for this election.