We are here today to OCCUPY THE COURTS.
We are here today to protest the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United versus Federal Election Commission case. Today is the two year anniversary of this infamous 5-to-4 ruling in the Citizens United case.
I strongly disagree with this ruling. Let me tell you why.
In my view, a corporation is NOT a person.
In my view, a corporation does NOT have First Amendment free speech rights
In my view, money is NOT the same thing as speech.
A corporation does NOT have A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT to spend as much money as it wants, without any disclosure, to influence our elections.
Corporations should not be able to go into their treasuries and spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a campaign in order to buy elections.
This infamous 5-to-4 Citizens United ruling has radically changed the nature of our democracy.
These activist judges, legislating from the bench, with no respect to precedent or strict interpretation of the Constitution, took it upon themselves to further tilt the balance of the political power in this country toward the rich and the powerful at a time when the balance is already shifted far too much in their favor. History will record that the Citizens United decision is one of the worst decisions in the history of our democracy.
At a time when corporations have more than $2 trillion in cash in their bank accounts and are making record-breaking profits, the American people should be concerned when the Supreme Court says that these corporations have a constitutionally-protected right to spend shareholders' money to dominate an election as if they were real, live persons. If we do not reverse this decision, there will be no end to the impact that corporate interests can have on our campaigns and our democracy.
---Does anybody really believe that that is what American democracy is supposed to be about?
How will this impact our representatives in Congress and the Senate?
When an issue comes up that impacts Wall Street, like breaking up huge banks,
what will senators and congressmen be thinking about when they decide how to vote? Every member of the Senate, every member of the House, in the back of their minds will be asking this: If I cast a vote this way, if I take on some big-money interest, am I going to be punished? Will a huge amount of money, funding negative attack ads be unleashed in my next election?
It's not just taking on Wall Street. It is any issue that effects corporate interests.
Maybe it's taking on the pharmaceuticals industry by trying to regulate new drugs.
Maybe it's taking on the private insurance companies by trying to reform health care system.
Maybe it's taking on the military-industrial complex by trying to end our overseas wars.
Maybe it's taking on the energy companies by trying to stop fracking or mountaintop removals
Whatever powerful and wealthy corporate interests Congress is prepared to take on -- on behalf of the interests of the middle class and working class families of this country -- they will know in the back of their minds that there may be a tidal wave of corporate money coming back at them. They're going to think twice about how to cast that vote.
When the Supreme Court says that for purposes of the First Amendment, corporations are people, that writing checks from the company's bank account is constitutionally-protected speech and that attempts by the federal government and states to impose reasonable restrictions on campaign ads are unconstitutional, when that occurs, then our democracy is in grave danger.
We are here today to OCCUPY THE COURTS and CALL FOR A MOVE TO AMEND that would reverse Citizens United and begin to get a handle on this problem.
Will this action today solve all the problems with our elections? No
Will a Constitutional amendment solve all our problems? No
Much more needs to be done.
But nothing can be done until we reverse this Citizens United ruling.
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We have got to send a constitutional amendment to the states and the directly to the voters of all the states that says simply and straightforwardly and in no uncertain terms what everyone - except five members of the United States Supreme Court - already knows and understands:
Corporations are not people with equal constitutional rights.
Corporations are subject to regulation by the people.
Corporations may not make campaign contributions -- the law of the land for the last century.
And Congress and states have the power to regulate campaign finances.
ONLY then can we begin the process of getting all big money out of our elections.
This is going to be a hard fight, it will not be easy, but if you believe in democracy, if you believe in the rule of law, if you believe in free and fair elections, it is something we must do and we must do it together, starting now.
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