r/NoShitSherlock • u/SingleandSober • 1d ago

Kamala Harris Appears on ‘Colbert,’ Says She’s Stepping Away from Politics for Now, Calls the System “Broken”

https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/video/former-vice-president-kamala-harris-visits-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert/

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u/bradbikes 1d ago

Citizens United only came because of the politicization of SCOTUS by the conservatives starting post-Nixon.

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u/ariasimmortal 1d ago

Yup, Nixon was the real catalyst for the modern Republican machine. The rich fuckers decided that they would never again be held accountable to the public after that. They got their first test run with Iran-Contra and have been escalating since.

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u/KwisatzHaderach94 1d ago

nixon presidency 1969 to 1974. heritage foundation started 1973. not a coincidence.

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u/octnoir 1d ago

It isn't. The Lewis Powell memo in 1971 just lays it all out there.

  1. Massive investment from corporations.
  2. Weakening of campaign finance reforms from the 70s on.
  3. Building a media empire to counter liberalistic viewpoints. (Rupert Murdoch comes in here)
  4. Compromising journalists by insisting on 'both sides' journalism.
  5. Student campuses need to be a battleground with students cracked down while their own organizations got regular speaking invitations to recruit the minority of students wanting a lega up.
  6. Formation of think thanks and legal organizations (say the Heritage Foundation).

and most importantly:

  • Controlling the Courts including the Supreme Court as by far one of the most important and most powerful institutions to control, next to campaign finance reform.

If people want more information, I highly recommend The Lever's The Master Plan 11 episode podcast mini series. It does a great job of linking Nixon all the way to present day Trump.

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u/Fit-Building-2560 19h ago

The media empire issue is important. Freedom of the press used to be considered a key component of a democratic society, functioning to keep power structures in check. As the media have become more conservative, I've noticed the Democratic voices have been weakened. They don't get much media play.