With the 2012 presidential election less than one year away, the relentless chase for campaign dollars is becoming a stampede. While many voters remain undecided about which candidate will get their vote, they are certain that the huge amounts of money in politics hurts our democracy and amplifies the voices of wealthy interests at the expense of America's working people. The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last year on Citizens United made a bad situation dramatically worse by setting off another campaign financing arms race. That is why we are joining a nationwide effort to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.
The 5-4 decision in the case of the Federal Elections Commission vs. Citizens United held that corporations have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited amounts to influence election outcomes. It effectively invited corporations to spend wildly on campaigns. Big Business has accepted the invitation.
The Citizens United decision essentially unraveled 100 years of legal precedent limiting corporate influence in elections. It reversed prior Supreme Court decisions, repealed key portions of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, and weakened various state laws limiting corporate campaign expenditures.
The ruling stated that there is virtually no distinction between the First Amendment rights of people and of corporations, and that independent campaign expenditures by corporations do not contribute to corruption or the appearance of corruption.
The majority on the court got it wrong.
As the dissenting opinion pointed out, corporations have special privileges that people do not have, including limited liability and perpetual life. Now, wealthy individuals and corporations can make unlimited campaign expenditures - much of them channeled through nonprofit organizations not required to disclose any of their donors or the amount of their contributions. Some of these independent organizations are reportedly preparing to spend $200 million to $250 million in the 2012 congressional and presidential elections.
To bring attention to this issue, several state legislatures and many local governments are introducing resolutions urging Congress to overturn this ill-conceived ruling. Assembly member Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, is introducing an Assembly Joint Resolution in the California Legislature that points out the long history of our nation's leaders - from Thomas Jefferson to Dwight Eisenhower to Barack Obama - decrying corporate influence. The resolution calls upon Congress to send a constitutional amendment to states for ratification that would overturn the Citizens United ruling.
The protections afforded by the First Amendment to the people of our nation are fundamental to our democracy. But those protections are for all the people, not just those who can best afford them. It is high time to take serious strides toward campaign finance reform. Citizens United is a major impediment to addressing the problem and should be overturned.
Join in
What: House parties to raise awareness about the Citizens United case.
When: Nov. 9
Where: At the homes of volunteers cross the nation. For more information on where they will be held and how you can help, go to: democracyisforpeople.org.
