Bernie Sanders: "We must stop this corporate takeover of American democracy"

[kpete]

We must stop this corporate takeover of American democracy
Unless we can reverse the supreme court's dreadful Citizens United decision,
US politics will become a plutocrats' plaything

What's next … a corporate right to vote?

Don't laugh. Just this month, the Republican National Committee filed an amicus brief in a US appeals court contending that the natural extension of the Citizens United rationale is that the century-old ban on corporate contributions directly to candidates and political parties is similarly unconstitutional. They want corporations to be able to sponsor candidates and parties directly while claiming with a straight face this would not result in any sort of corruption. And while, this month, they take no issue with corporations being subject to the existing contribution limits, anyone paying attention knows that eliminating such caps will be corporate America's next prize in its brazen ambition for absolute control over our elections.

The US Constitution has served us very well, but when the supreme court says, for purposes of the first amendment, that 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, our democracy is in grave danger.

....................

I believe that the Citizens United decision will go down as one of the worst in our country's history – and one that demands an amendment to our Constitution in order to restore sovereign power to the people, as our nation's founders intended.

If we do not reverse it and the culture of corporate dominance over our elections that it has exacerbated, there will be no end to the impact that corporate interests have on our campaigns and our democracy.

more:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/jan/20/us-constitution-and-civil-liberties-us-supreme-court
http://www.politicususa.com/en/bernie-sanders-citizens-united

[HopeHoops]

1. Sometimes he seems like an island of sanity in a sea of giant slugs and sharks.

[Zorra]

3. That's because he really is an island of sanity in a sea of giant slugs and sharks.

He has common sense. Something that is in very short supply in DC.

[HopeHoops]

4. He's also a racist asshole I wouldn't vote for, but at least he's honest about it.

He's also the only one who has a flying fuck of an idea about what's going on around the world. His ideas aren't GOOD ones, but at least he knows he has them.

[subterranean]

5. Bernie Sanders? Aren't you confusing him with Ron Paul?

[HopeHoops]

9. Yeah, that would be Ron Paul - no clue how the post ended up here.

Oops. I get interrupted frequently. I guess I had too many windows open at the same time. My bad.

To set the record straight: RON PAUL is a racist asshole, not Bernie Sanders.

[xchrom]

2. Du rec. Nt

[ohiosmith]

6. Too late!

[Mr.Liberty]

7. Sanders is the last of a dying breed...

Politicians that actually care about this country. Not too many of those beings left.

[ProSense]

8. More

Republican National Committee Files Brief Seeking To Allow Corporate Funding Of Campaigns
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/01/11/402358/republican-national-committee-files-brief-seeking-to-allow-corporate-funding-of-campaigns/

Posted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251497