1st they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win...

Congratulations to Sheldon Adelson - the casino mogul who's made a fortune in China - and is now the new record-holder for the most money spent in an election here in the United States - at least that we know about. According to Politico - Adelson has funneled $70 million to the Republican Party so far this election - more than tripling the previous record of campaign spending by any single individual. And while Adelson hasn't shied away from the spotlight - and is, in fact, proud of his attempts to buy the election for Mitt Romney - there are a lot of other right-wing millionaires and billionaires in the shadows also spending huge amounts of money. You won't hear their names - you won't see their faces - but they're sure to have a profound effect in November - if not on the White House, then on the congressional and Senate races across the nation. And we can thanks the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision in 2010 for making all of this possible. According to a new report by the sunlight foundation - more than three-quarters of the $465 million in outside spending so far this election would have been a crime for which people could go to prison before five right-wingers on the Supreme Court, in their lopsided 5-4 Citizens United decision, decided that billionaires and corporations - including those that make their money in other countries - should be able to buy American elections. SuperPACs - those political creatures spawned by the Supreme Court's five to four decision - have dished out $272 million so far on this year's election - and trade organization and non-profits, which according to Citizens United don't have to disclose their donors, have spent another $93 million so far - that we know about.