Vote for Murray Hill

Here's an article in The Washington Post (registration required, I think, though it's free) about a new kind of politician, " the perfect candidate for this political moment: young, bold, media-savvy, a Washington outsider eager to reshape the way things are done in the nation's capital."

The catch? Murray Hill is a corporation.

After the Supreme Court declared that corporations have the same rights as individuals when it comes to funding political campaigns, the self-described progressive firm took what it considers the next logical step: declaring for office.

"Until now, corporate interests had to rely on campaign contributions and influence-peddling to achieve their goals in Washington," the candidate, who was unavailable for an interview, said in a statement. "But thanks to an enlightened Supreme Court, now we can eliminate the middle-man and run for office ourselves."

William Klein, a "hired gun" who has been enlisted as Murray Hill's campaign manager, said the firm appears to be the first "corporate person" to run for office and is promising a spirited campaign that "puts people second, or even third." 

Here's their campaign ad at YouTube.

The ad makes a particularly passionate case for why it's necessary to have more direct corporate representation in Congress.

In a soothing voice, a narrator bemoans that "as much as corporate interests gave to politicians, we could never be absolutely sure they would do our bidding." The ad includes images of gleaming office towers and disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and promises Murray Hill will bring "enlightened self-interest and corporate accounting" to Congress.

It concludes with a rousing call to action: "Vote for Murray Hill Incorporated for Congress -- for the best democracy money can buy." 

It's hardly necessary for me to comment about this (of course, that's never stopped me before), but it seems to be the logical next step for our dysfunctional Supreme Court, which overturned precedent in a 5-4 decision this January in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Well, it's a court packed with far-right extremists (almost everything is decided on a 5-4 vote these days) who apparently don't see any difference between corporations and human beings.

But I can't really blame the Supreme Court. This is our fault. More specifically, if you voted for George W. Bush in 2000 or 2004, or you couldn't be bothered to vote at all, this is your fault. We get the kind of government we deserve, and yes, that includes the kinds of Supreme Court justices.