The Silver Lining in the SCOTUS Decision
I've decided to look at last Thursday's Supreme Court ruling in a new light, one that strengthens rather than depresses me!
It is true- our most cherished American values and our very democracy are under assault. A radical, one person majority of the Court has ruled that corporations (including foreign ones) can spend their billions to buy Congress and the Presidency, removing the American people from the center of the electoral process. If left unchallenged, our country would be ruled by an unchecked corporate oligarchy- not what our Founders or the thousands who have died for American freedom had in mind.
So although this threat is very real, so is this; corporations already wield democracy-killing power in our political system. All you have to do is look at the past year. Those who engaged in criminal behavior on Wall Street have used taxpayer money to award themselves billions in bonuses, and to block consumer protection and reform, profiteering insurance companies have largely written health care "reform" that will not provide the universal and affordable coverage we need and clean energy and energy independence seem doomed to failure by the fossil fuel industry.
The average legislator is spending more time dialing for dollars than in understanding the issues, meeting with constituents or even reading the bills they are voting on. The system is already corrupt, ineffectual and antithetical to the American peoples' interests. The new ruling will remove the last shreds of democracy we have left. (The problem is so bad that even the CEO's of Delta Airlines, MetLife and about 38 other companies came out against the SCOTUS ruling. Their reasoning? They already get hit by Congress members too often for money!)
But here is the hope. I agree with Ezra Klein of the Washington Post , who said this Supreme Court decision is "so deeply objectionable" and so clearly shows how sick and broken our current system is, that it has the power to arouse everyday Americans to rise up and demand it be fixed! The five activist, extremist judges who threw out 100 years of established law and precedent may have finally pushed too far and done us all a favor. A mass mobilization of millions has the power to take our country back. People from the left and right need to come together to face the real enemy of democracy- corporate tyranny. As Thomas Jefferson said in 1816, “I hope we shall… crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and to bid defiance to the laws of our country.”
It is clear to me that a Constitutional Amendment is necessary to return government to "We, the People" and there are many petitions you can sign and movements to join to push for this (see below). But that is long-range and we need to also work today to get big money out of politics through fair election reform. Let's get a massive grassroots movement going to pass The Fair Elections Now Act (S.752, H.R.1826). Legislation is also in the works to blunt the impact of the Supreme Court ruling, like; requiring shareholders to sign off on corporate spending on elections, requiring companies to identify themselves in paid campaign ads and restricting the ability of corporations that receive big government contracts to run ads.
Citizens also can have a great impact by writing Letters to the Editor, gathering people together to talk about the implications of this abominable ruling and taking to the streets to demand change. Go to movetoamend.org/takeaction for letter samples and other ideas for action.
Last year the top 100 companies had profits of $600 billion. If they used just a measly 1% of it, they would have six thousand million dollars to elect political sellouts and to oppose those who stand for the people (freespeechforpeople.org). Free speech is no longer free when only the corporations are heard. Make a stand for democracy today!
Support bold action to ensure fair elections- In response to the ruling, President Obama has promised to work with leaders in Congress to "craft a forceful response that protects the voices of ordinary citizens." Show him we have his back-
Support bold action to ensure fair elections- In response to the ruling, President Obama has promised to work with leaders in Congress to "craft a forceful response that protects the voices of ordinary citizens." Show him we have his back-
http://my.barackobama.com/FairElections
Affirm that money is not speech and corporations are not people! movetoamend.org (42,000 signatures and growing!
Affirm that money is not speech and corporations are not people! movetoamend.org (42,000 signatures and growing!
Petition Stop the Corporate Takeover of Our Democracy!
Sign the Free Speech for People Amendment at Public Citizen
Powerful Video Response to SCOTUS Inc.
Jamin Raskin, professor of constitutional law and the First Amendment at American University, has spoken out powerfully on behalf of a new campaign at FreeSpeechForPeople.org that aims to undo the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to remove limitations on corporations' election spending.
Here's a short video made together with Congresswoman Donna Edwards.
Here's Raskin on Democracy Now!
And here's Raskin debating a corporatist chump on C-Span.
Powerful Video Response to SCOTUS Inc.
Jamin Raskin, professor of constitutional law and the First Amendment at American University, has spoken out powerfully on behalf of a new campaign at FreeSpeechForPeople.org that aims to undo the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to remove limitations on corporations' election spending.
Here's a short video made together with Congresswoman Donna Edwards.
Here's Raskin on Democracy Now!
And here's Raskin debating a corporatist chump on C-Span.
Sign petition for public financing of elections
40,000 signatures and counting. Rep Alan Grayson's SaveDemocarcy.net
Amend the Constitution
pfaw.org 
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