Murray Hill is running for Congress to rid Washington of lobbyists and weak-kneed politicians once and for all. And there may be no better candidate, for Murray Hill is not a frail human being but a company.
“Until now, corporate interests had to rely on campaign contributions and influence peddling to achieve their goals in Washington. But thanks to an enlightened Supreme Court, now we can eliminate the middle-man and run for office ourselves,” the public relations firm from Silver Spring, Maryland, says in a statement.
It’s referring to the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which has drawn a torrent of criticism from officials including President Barack Obama by treating corporations as human beings when it comes to the constitutional guarantee of free speech. Critics claim the decision will unleash a new flood of corporate money into U.S. election campaigns, including money from foreign companies.
But Murray Hill Inc., whose clients include labor unions and environmental groups, praises the Supreme Court for creating a new “growth market” in American politics and vows to make a top-dollar investment toward becoming the first “corporate person” in Congress.
It’s launched a campaign Web site, a YouTube ad that has drawn over 172,000 hits and a Facebook page with more than 2,600 fans. It even has a “designated human” to warm its seat in Congress and mind its legislative interests between board meetings.
