Its potential implications are so vast that it is misleading to merely view the Citizens United case through a narrow partisan prism ... To use an example that Republicans might find chilling: Imagine in the weeks before the 2012 election that the successfully bailed-out General Motors floods the airwaves in up-for-grabs auto-making states like Michigan, Ohio and Indiana with 30-second TV spots that begin, "Thank you President Obama for saving jobs..." and end with the tag line, "Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, Chevrolet and Obama."

The financial meltdown has given the federal government greater sway over individual companies than at any time since the Depression -- and this kind of economic clout is likely to continue if the Republicans regain power ... The Supreme Court has raised the potential of the ultimate wink-and-nod political quid pro quo -- federal economic assistance in exchange for overt corporate political support. This is a new quasi-legal temptation awaiting any president of either party running for re-election.

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Heather Horn