http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/03/22/1372529/-If-We-Don-t-Overturn-Citizens-United-Congress-Will-Become-Paid-Employees-of-the-Billionaire-Class
I recently introduced an amendment at the Senate Budget Committee. It was pretty simple. It asked my Senate colleagues to begin the process of overturning the disastrous Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United, and to bring transparency and disclosure to the political process. The link to that debate on the amendment is here: https://www.youtube.com/...
Here's what I asked my Senate colleagues to consider:
Are we comfortable with an American political system which is being dominated by a handful of billionaires?
Are we a nation that prides ourselves on one-person, one-vote, or do we tell ordinary Americans you've got one vote but the Koch brothers can spend hundreds of millions of dollars?
Do we want a political system in which a handful of billionaires can buy members of the United States Congress?
Who are those members of Congress elected with the help of billionaires going to be representing? Do you think they're going to be representing the middle class and working families?"
The answers seem clear to me. Unless the campaign financing system is reformed, the U.S. Congress will become paid employees of the people who pay for their campaigns - the billionaire class. Needless to say, not everyone on the Committee agreed.
It was an interesting and informative debate. Not one Republican supported the amendment and it lost by a 12-10 vote.
it's clear that republicans profit more from their gift by right wing side of scotus, if Dems were getting the best of them in that venue they would not have passed it and the house would be on it like republicans on American rights and voter rights laws. it also is clear that their majority in the high court that no matter how damning to American voters their agenda is 5 out of 4 times more likely to get approved.
we are by ourselves some of our Progressive politicians aren't, others no testicles the only one it looks like is on our side for real is Pres. and we have made him by himself too. it's the entire party that needs to be reconsidered, and revamped. just as the republicans are loud and wrong we are quiet and wrong our platform seems to be up for sale as well a the republicans have put our gov't and country up for sale. fixing one with out the other just gives us the same crap with different ends of the field.
Pres. says this is the 4th quarter of his Presidency do we continue to hold him to a false memory of "YES I CAN" or do we rally if not for him or your friends do it for your family and remember he said "YES WE CAN"????
we are making another mistake Hilary is not stating her intent if elected i understand fear of losing some votes if she embraces the Obama agenda that works, there are others not as fearful Elizabeth Warren, and the author of this article Bernie Sanders who don't seem to be as queazy, i like Hilary but we need some sense of help being on the way to bad Pres. can't run again and again and again.
