Thom: I believe so, yes.
Rob: So they're basically just being bought?
Thom: Well, it's not so much that they're being bought, is they're being threatened. I know a member of Congress who chose not to run for re-election 2 years ago who told me the story of how he was sitting in his office one day and a lobbyist walked in and said, "Under the Citizens United decision, our corporation can spend up to a millions dollars, we have a budget up to a million dollars in your district." This is a district where he typically would spend two or three hundred thousand dollars in a year to win re-elections. He said, "We can spend about a million dollars in your district. We can use that money to destroy you or to re-elect you. Which would you prefer?" And this fellow told me that was when he made the decision that he was not going to run for re-election. That kind of conversation is being had all over this city right now everyday.
Rob: This is the Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Shaw WMJC 1360AM, sponsored by OpEdNews.com. You picked us up in the middle of a conversation. You go to iTunes and look for Rob Kall, K-A-L-L, to download podcast or got to OpEdNews.com/podcast. I'm talking about Thom Hartman. His newest book is The Thom Hartman Reader. We're also talking about his book, Unequal Protection, and what's the other one we were discussing, How to Jump"
Thom: Rebuilding the American Dream. The, the reader has a chapter on Rebuilding the American Dream that basically summarizes Unequal Protection.
Ron: Okay. Well"
Thom: Yes.
Ron: Unequal Protection has become a very central conversation point for the Occupy Movement. When I was down at Occupy Philly the other day, that's the topic that they were focusing on, saying this is what we want to deal with. I asked Thom to get in this conversation because I wanted to get up-to-date on his thinking about it, and it really went in a place I didn't expect. You started talking, Thom, about the other part of the other part of the problem that really was the source of the original problem with unequal protection, which was the Supreme Court which is what"
Thom: Yep.
Ron: "set off this problem and now, is basically the igniter fluid and it's exploding and doing the damage to our Constitution and our Democracy basically.
Thom: Yes. Well said.
Ron: The reason I wanted to talk to you is because - though I've been thinking about something a little different. In this last election, which just happened, there was another personhood that was brought up down in Mississippi, a personhood of unborn fetuses. The Christian Right was attempting to pass a law making personhood for unborn fetuses. And I've always thought that the Christian Right should be outraged by the idea that Corporate Personhood is allowed. That a nonentity, soulless thing could be treated like a person. And I just wondered, Thom, have you looked into that much? Have you gotten in to any aspects of how to get the Christian Right onboard with tying that together personhood?
Thom: You know, I've brought this issue up with a few of these folks, and when they come on my show, because you know, I debate Right Wingers all the time.
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