From Marginalizing Economic Discourse with Security Threats to Approbating Corporate Lobbies and Campaign Contributions

Abstract

Government marginalized freedom of expression rights of communists, socialists, labor and Leftist groups during the two prolonged Red Scare eras and during wartime to the extent that individuals and groups might impede the war effort. Much of the world was divided during the Cold War among communist ideology that favored collective rights, socialism that favored more public ownership of the economy and more social programs, and capitalism that favored puissant property right protections, less government involvement in the economy, and fewer social programs. An ideological impasse over property rights ostensibly corresponded with security threats. Did prolonged eras of national security peril influence the political system, societal values, and jurisprudence? During the Cold War, individuals and groups that sought to exercise free speech rights by advocating economic policies outside of dominate discourse or organize into suspect collective action groups, confronted restrictions. The Cold War was foremost premised on security threats from weapon buildups, but did the stigmatizing labels of communism and socialism, and the praised label of capitalism influence the political landscape and the role of corporations in political agendas? During the mid-1970s, the Supreme Court bestowed elevated rights to business organizations. Both Republicans and Democrats represent campaign positions that will get them elected based on the perceptions of the median voter. Politicians seem to have shifted to become more beholden to corporate America, which coincides with criticism surrounding corporate capture of government institutions, lobbying, and campaign contributions.