How about something that doesn’t limit speech too much but reigns in the lobbyist influence. Simply pass a rule that a politician can only accept donations from a citizen if they live in their voting district. Barney Frank will have to listen to his constituents as his primary motive and not to the Wall Street Banks he is so beholden to.

I also got an email claiming Obama was a British, Indonesian, Kenyan baby.

In all reality, most of those are probably true. But you get the government you elect, and there’s a strong populist movement to elect people “Like us” right now. When Sarah Palin is on a ticket, already with a murky local history, how can you be surprised?

The answer is 100% public funding and regulating lobbyists. Most of these people aren’t leaving their 500K+ a year jobs for civic service, it’s to repay their employers and build a networking for K street afterwards.

The again, the SC just struck down rules against limiting corp cash in US elections. Corporations are people after all, with all the rights thus guaranteed.

That is unless we’re talking about responsibilities. Then it’s not their fault. They’re just a conglomerate made of capital and workers and can’t directly be held accountable besides a monetary pay out.