Amy Goodman: The American citizens rebelling against Citizens United

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The American citizens rebelling against Citizens United
Even as the supreme court struck down a Montana law limiting corporate campaign finance, a movement for reform is building

Amy Goodman
guardian.co.uk, Friday 29 June 2012


"I never bought a man who wasn't for sale," William A Clark reportedly said. He was one of Montana's "copper kings", a man who used his vast wealth to manipulate the state government and literally buy votes to make himself a US senator. That was more than 100 years ago, and the blatant corruption of Clark and the other copper kings created a furor that led to the passage, by citizen initiative, of Montana's Corrupt Practices Act in 1912.

The century of transparent campaign-finance restrictions that followed, preventing corporate money from influencing elections, came to an end this week, as the US supreme court summarily reversed the Montana law. Five justices of the supreme court reiterated: their controversial Citizens United ruling remains the law of the land.

Clark's corruption contributed to the passage of the 17th amendment to the US constitution. Now, close to 100 years later, it may take a popular movement to amend the constitution again – this time, to overturn Citizens United and confirm, finally and legally, that corporations are not people.

Citizens United v Federal Election Commission is the case in which the US supreme court ruled that corporations can contribute unlimited amounts of funds toward what are deemed "independent expenditures" in our elections. Thus, corporations, or shadowy "Super Pacs" that they choose to fund, can spend as much as they care to on negative campaign ads, just as long as they don't coordinate with a candidate's campaign committee. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/29/american-citizens-rebelling-citizens-united