Why McCutcheon Could Be Bad for the GOP

Steven D. Schwinn, John Marshall Law School

Peter Beinart argues over at The Atlantic that the Court's ruling this week in McCutcheon--that aggregate limits on campaign contributions violate the First Amendment--could haunt the Republican Party.  His claim: Over the long haul, McCutcheon will contribute to the Republican Party's reputation as the party of plutocrats.

From the piece:

A CNN poll this February found that . . . Americans . . . said Republican policies favored the rich over the middle class by a whopping 46 points.

The Supreme Court has now made overcoming that reputation harder. 

. . .

In the 1970s, a liberal Supreme Court fueled right-wing cultural populism.  Today, a conservative Supreme Court is breeding left-wing economic populism.  For the contemporary GOP, the danger of looking like the plaything of America's super-rich outweighs the benefits of increased support from America's super-rich.  Even in the age of the Roberts Court, winning elections generally requires more than just raising more money.  It requires winning more votes.