Tag: Citizens United

Dozen Megadonors Gave $3.4 Billion, One in Every 13 Dollars, Since 2009

New York Times logo

A new study shows the role of the super rich in politics since the Supreme Court loosened restrictions on political spending more than a decade ago.

A dozen megadonors and their spouses contributed a combined $3.4 billion to federal candidates and political groups since 2009, accounting for nearly one out of every 13 dollars raised, according to a new report.

The report, produced by Issue One, a nonpartisan group that seeks to reduce the influence of money in politics, shows the top 12 donors split equally between six Democrats and six Republicans. The list includes multiple Wall Street billionaires and investors, a Facebook co-founder, a shipping magnate and the heir to a family fortune dating back to the Gilded Age.

The study quantifies the intensifying concentration and increasing role of the super rich in American politics following the loosening of restrictions on political spending by the U.S. Supreme Court more than a decade ago. Continue reading.

Bloomberg campaign transfer of $18 million to DNC sparks complaints to federal regulators

NOTE:  Citizens United up in arms about money going into campaigns is ironic beyond belief. We give you this story.

Washington Post logoA conservative group has filed a petition asking federal regulators to prevent self-funded candidates from emulating former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, who they say used a loophole to make a historically large $18 million contribution to the Democratic National Committee.

Citizens United, the group widely known for its 2010 namesake landmark Supreme Court case that helped pave the way for super PACs, on Wednesday filed a petition with the Federal Election Commission asking federal regulators to create new rules to limit the amount of leftover money that a self-funded federal candidate can transfer to the national party once the candidate has dropped out of the race.

The request followed two FEC complaints filed by other groups that alleged Bloomberg made an improper transfer.

Citizens United decision weathers 10 years of controversy

The Hill logoA decade after the Supreme Court’s landmark Citizens United decision, which ushered in the era of super PACs and unlimited donations, the fight over the contentious ruling shows no signs of easing.

The case upended the campaign finance system, after the justices in a 5-4 ruling authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy on Jan. 21, 2010 found that restrictions on corporate campaign spending violated free speech.

Democrats blasted the decision, warning of the impact of corporate money flooding into elections. But the ruling also opened the door for labor unions and nonprofits to ramp up their campaign spending, altering the landscape. Continue reading.

Rep. Dean Phillips: Clean up our campaign finance system

When I speak to groups visiting Washington, D.C. or to my constituents back home as I travel around my west metro district, I often start by telling them something that most find surprising: I love my job.

This usually elicits laughter — understandably, given the current state of affairs — but it’s true. As I reflect on my first year representing Minnesota’s Third District in Congress, I do so with deep gratitude for the opportunity to serve in these historic times. I have made lasting friendships, met people and visited places I never would have encountered before, and achieved several legislative successes along the way.

Still, there’s no denying the fact that Congress is broken, and our politics are in serious need of repair. I speak often about the deficiencies of the social and physical design of Congress, as well as the rules that govern our process and procedures. For now, however, I’d like to focus on the single most important impediment to meaningful progress at the federal level: money in politics. Continue reading.

How Citizens United corrupted the US Supreme Court and guaranteed Republicans will never turn on Trump

AlterNet logoThere is a very simple reason why some Republicans voted for the impeachment proceedings against Richard Nixon, but none have so far broken ranks against Trump. That reason is a corrupted U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1976 (Buckley v. Valeo) and 1978 (First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti), the Supreme Court ruled that when corporations and billionaires purchase their very own politicians, it is constitutionally protected “free speech” rather than “bribery,” which is how we defined it from the beginning of our republic until 1976. In 2010, the Supreme Court doubled down on its betrayal of American democracy with its Citizens United decision.

After those twin decisions in the 1970s, money from corporations and the morbidly rich began to flow into the coffers of the Republican Party, hoisting Ronald Reagan into the White House. (Democrats were then still largely funded by unions, and thus not so easily up for sale.)

Continue reading

Group of 50 legal scholars call for 28th Amendment to overturn Citizens United: ‘A root cause of dysfunction in our political system’

AlterNet logoWhen liberals and progressives cite former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s best and worst rulings of the Barack Obama era, they typically praise his support for same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges while slamming him for his support for unlimited corporate donations in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission. The U.S. Supreme Court obviously isn’t going to be overturning Citizens United anytime soon given its swing to the right, but a group of 50 legal experts have another idea for ending that decision: a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The legal experts, according to the Law & Crime website, have signed a joint letter they plan to release on Constitution Day that calls for a constitutional amendment ending Citizens United. Those who have signed the letter range from former Federal Election Commission Chairman Trevor Potter to Zephyr Teachout (a law professor at Fordham University in New York City) to two professors at the Harvard Law School: Lawrence Lessig and Laurence Tribe.

The letter states, “As attorneys, law professors and former judges with a wide variety of political beliefs and affiliations, we are convinced that our nation’s current election spending framework is a root cause of dysfunction in our political system and requires fundamental reform.”

View the complete September 18 article by Alex Henderson on the AlterNet website here.

Rep. Phillips Co-Sponsors Joint Resolution to Overturn Citizens United by Constitutional Amendment

Phillips leads on sweeping campaign finance reform, calls for a national rejection of dark money in politics

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03)today announced that he has co-sponsored the Democracy for All Amendment, HJRES2, to overturn Citizens United. This January marks the ninth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which opened American elections to a flood of unlimited anonymous spending by corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals.

“Ours is a system of checks and balances, and in times of great consequence, duty falls on Congress and the states to rectify unintended outcomes of the Supreme Court’s decisions,” said Phillips. “Now is one of those momentous times in American history. In order to preserve our democracy we must come together to end the corrupting influence of money in politics — and we cannot do that until the Citizens United decision has been overturned.” Continue reading “Rep. Phillips Co-Sponsors Joint Resolution to Overturn Citizens United by Constitutional Amendment”

MN-03: Phillips Spotlights No PAC Commitment, Reform in WCCO Interview

The following press release from End Citizens United was posted on their website July 2, 2018:

Dean Phillips, candidate for Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District, highlighted his platform to unrig Washington and get money out of politics in an interview with WCCO CBS Minnesota yesterday.

Phillips discussed his challenge to Congressman Paulsen to sign the “The Minnesota Way” pledge, a commitment to keep special interest money out of the MN-3 race and be accessible to voters. Phillips is running his campaign free from the influence of all PACs, special interests, and federal lobbyists.

“I think we have a Congress that’s been bought and sold by special interests. Particularly, Erik Paulsen who’s one of the biggest recipients of PAC dollars in the entire U.S. Congress. And I think it’s time that people be exposed to the truth — I’m on a mission to do so — and recognize that we have a responsibility, every one of us running for office, everybody serving in Congress to forgo the influence of special interests in favor of the common interest and that’s what this campaign is entirely about.” – Dean Phillips Continue reading “MN-03: Phillips Spotlights No PAC Commitment, Reform in WCCO Interview”

How Citizens United gave Republicans a bonanza of seats in U.S. state legislatures

The following article by Nour Abdul-Razzak, Carlo Prato and Stéphane Wolton was posted on the Washington Post website February 24, 2017:

This week, federal election commissioner and former commission chair Ann Ravel publicly announced her upcoming resignation. She didn’t mince words: “The mission of the FEC is essential to ensure a fair electoral process. Yet since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, our political campaigns have been awash in unlimited, often dark money.”

Citizens United is one of the most controversial Supreme Court rulings of recent years. Issued in 2010, it establishes that “outside spending” in elections qualifies as constitutionally protected speech, effectively removing restrictions that date back to 1947. As a result, corporations and unions have the right to spend unlimited (and largely undisclosed) amounts of money advocating in favor of or against specific candidates. Many, including President Barack Obama, have disagreed with the decision. During the past presidential campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly endorsed this view, referring to the super PACs which emerged as a result of Citizens United as a “total phony deal.” Calls for change have also come from others within the Republican Party. Continue reading “How Citizens United gave Republicans a bonanza of seats in U.S. state legislatures”