I never got around to mentioning it last week, but Democratic Senators Tom Udall, Michael Bennet, Tom Harkin, Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Jeff Merkely introduced a Constitutional amendment to reform campaign finance on Tuesday, which, if passed, would trump the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, which essentially made it possible for corporations to expend unlimited funds in hopes of influencing U.S. elections. At a press conference, Udall said, “Letting this go unchecked is a threat to our democracy.” He added, “The Supreme Court’s decision to encourage the corrosive effects special interest money is having on the election process fundamentally contradicts the American ideal that campaigns should be about the best ideas and not the biggest bank accounts.” The following clip comes from Think Progress:
…The amendment as filed resolves that both Congress and individual states shall have the power to regulate both the amount of contributions made directly to candidates for elected office and “the amount of expenditures that may be made by, in support of, or in opposition to such candidates.”
“By limiting the influence of big money in politics, elections can be more about the voters and their voices, not big money donors and their deep pockets,” said Harkin of the amendment. “We need to have a campaign finance structure that limits the influence of the special interests and restores confidence in our democracy. This amendment goes to the heart of that effort.”
Passing this amendment or any other amendment to the Constitution is an arduous process. There are two ways to propose a constitutional amendment. Either two-thirds of Congress can agree to an amendment or there can be a constitutional amendment called by two-thirds of state legislatures (this path has never been taken). In order to ratify an amendment, three-quarters of state legislatures must agree or three-quarters of states must have individual constitutional conventions that agree.
And here, with more, is Thom Hartmann, who seems to think, based upon this development, and the fact that voters in Boulder just adopted a resolution calling for the U.S. Congress to amend the Constitution to end corporate personhood, that we may have finally reached a tipping point.
For more on the battle to see a 28th Amendment enacted that would end corporate personhood, and restrict corporate influence over U.S. elections, see Move to Amend.
Also, if you didn’t read it at the time, you’ll find an interview I did with the folks starting the local Ypsi/Arbor Move to Amend chapter here.
