Citizens United

6 Ways Americans Voted Against Corporate Power In Midterm Elections

November 7, 2014 Mary Hansen and Kayla Schultz, www.yesmagazine.org Organize! Citizens United, Elections, Environment, Fracking, Law

Deep breaths, everyone. The midterm election didn't exactly go how many people hoped. The Democrats' loss of the Senate could mean a Congress that's a lot friendlier to things like the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and theadoption of sweeping new trade deals. But don't despair just yet. In a few statewide ballot measures and local elections, Americans voted against corporate interests, embracing progressive policies (and even a couple progressive politicians). They endorsed protecting the environment from oil and gas companies, getting corporate money (like the record $3.76 billion spent during this midterm election) out of politics, and favoring local businesses over chain stores. Here are six local victories that got us excited.

Five States Voted To Overturn Citizens United

November 7, 2014 Move To Amend, www.movetoamend.org Organize! Campaign Finance, Citizens United, Law

In Massachusetts, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Florida, citizens voted overwhelmingly yesterday for their legislators to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling and declare that only human beings – not corporations – are entitled to constitutional rights and that money is not speech and campaign spending can be regulated. Residents in dozens of cities had the opportunity to vote on measures calling for an end to the doctrines of corporate constitutional rights and money as free speech, and in every single town the vote was supportive. Often by an overwhelming margin. In WI where all eyes were on Republican Scott Walker's victory, twelve communities voted in support of an amendment. Walker and Burke voters alike support amending the Constitution, as not a single measure garnered less that 70% support.

A Dozen Wisconsin Communities Challenge Corporate Personhood

October 30, 2014 Deirdre Fulton, www.commondreams.org Organize! Campaign Finance, Citizens United, Law, Wisconsin

Wisconsin residents in 12 communities will vote next week on whether to amend the U.S. Constitution to overturn Citizens United, end corporate personhood, and get big money out of politics. In Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Supreme Court found that corporations have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence the outcome of elections. In Milwaukee County, Dunn County, Green Bay, Appleton, Fond du Lac, Neenah, Menasha, Ripon, Stoughton, Oregon, Wausau, and the Village of Park Ridge, voters will cast their ballots on a proposed amendment that would essentially reverse the Court's 2010 decision by stating that corporations are not people and money is not speech.

Senate Vote On Constitutional Amendment Sept 8; Side With The People?

September 6, 2014 Public Citizen, www.citizen.org Organize! Citizens United, Congress, Money As Speech, Politics

Voters across party lines overwhelmingly oppose the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling and strongly support a constitutional amendment to overturn the decision and curb the influence of money in politics, a new bipartisan poll shows. When provided a short description of the amendment, which is scheduled for a Senate vote on Sept. 8, Republicans support the amendment by a roughly two-to-one margin. Notably, voters reject arguments against the amendment by wide margins. The poll was commissioned by Public Citizen and conducted by Lake Research Partners, a Democratic polling firm, and Chesapeake Beach Consulting, a Republican polling firm. The firms conducted a live telephone survey of 800 likely voters between July 26 and July 29. The numbers of Democrats, Republicans and independents polled reflected the proportions of projected likely national 2014 voters from each of those parties. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 3.5 percent. “It’s time for Congress to act on the people’s demand for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and restore our democracy,” said Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen. “This poll shows that the public, including Republican voters, forcefully rejects arguments from Senator Mitch McConnell and Senator Ted Cruz in defense of the status quo.”

Lawmakers Back Amendment Overturning Citizens United

June 25, 2014 Mollie Reilly, www.huffingtonpost.com Organize! California, Citizens United, Law, Organize

California's state Senate voted Monday in favor of amending the U.S. Constitution to curb the influence of money in politics. Assembly Joint Resolution 1, first introduced by state Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) in late 2012, would call for a constitutional convention with the purpose of amending the Constitution to "limit corporate personhood for purposes of campaign finance and political speech" and "further declare that money does not constitute speech and may be legislatively limited." The measure is aimed at overturning the Supreme Court's controversial Citizens United decision, which opened the door for the creation of super PACs, a new type of independent political committee that can raise and spend unlimited cash on campaigns. The state assembly voted in favor of the bill in January. The resolution passed the state Senate in a 23-11 vote, making California the second state to call for constitutional convention geared at overturning the landmark court ruling. (Vermont's legislature passed a similar measure earlier this year.)

Overcoming Cynicism: We Can End The ‘Rule Of Money’

April 28, 2014 Joshua Holland, www.billmoyers.com Educate! Citizens United, Money As Speech, Organizing

Harvard’s Lawrence Lessig, the crusader for campaign finance reform, feels that his fellow reformers don’t think big or boldly enough to inspire the kind of grassroots campaign that might break elite donors’ stranglehold on America’s political system. In a recent piece in The Atlantic, Lessig argues that public cynicism about the prospect of deep reform actually working is the only thing keeping widespread outrage at our slide toward plutocracy in check. And he thinks that only a “moonshot” campaign — an ambitious, collective, national effort “unlike anything they’ve seen before” — can “crack this cynicism” and usher in a more democratic system. BillMoyers.com asked Lessig to lay out his vision of change. Below is a transcript of our discussion that’s been lightly edited for clarity.

In Rare Protest US Supreme Court Is Disrupted

February 27, 2014 Al Kamen, www.washingtonpost.com Resist! Campaign Finance, Citizens United, Democracy, Elections, Supreme Court, Video

A rare disturbance broke out Wednesday during oral arguments at the Supreme Court when a lone protester at the back of the ornate room rose and loudly urged the court to overturn its 2010 ruling in Citizens United, which opened the door to unlimited corporate campaign contributions in elections. “I arise on behalf of the vast majority of the people of the United States who believe that money is not speech,” the protester said, “corporations are not people and that our democracy should not be for sale to the highest bidder.” The protester, identified by a court spokeswoman as Noah Newkirk, of Los Angeles, said the court should “overturn Citizens United” On his Facebook page Noah 'Kai' Newkirk wrote: "Just released from jail after disrupting a Supreme Court session yesterday to raise up the voice of the vast majority of Americans who believe democracy should be about everybody's votes not billionaire's dollars."

Video: Resistance Report Week In Review #18 – January 25, 2014

January 25, 2014 Dennis Trainor Jr, www.PopularResistance.org Resistance Report Citizens United, Inequality, MLK, TPP, Video

The Resistance Report Week in Review collects all of the Resistance Report segments from the previous week and rolls them into one big show. Watch the video below, or jump to the individual segments linked below. - Responding to the Oxfam report that concluded that the world's 85 richest people own the same amount as the bottom half of the entire global population, self appointed spokesperson for the global elite, and celebrity Judge on the reality show The Shark Tank Kevin O’Leary, applauded the news, stating that is “fantastic news (…) the motivation everybody needs (…) it inspires everyone to want to be like the 1%” and scoffing at the idea of “re-distribution of wealth” stated, “ I celebrate Capitalism.”

We Need A Democracy Movement To Fix This Sh*t (video)

January 17, 2014 Dennis Trainor Jr, www.PopularResistance.org Resistance Report Activism, Amend the Constitution, Citizens United, Climate Change, Corporate Personhood, Corporatism, Finance and the Economy, Food and Agriculture, Foreclosures, Fracking, Government, Move To Amend, Overturn Citizens United

As the late populist and journalist Molly Ivins once said: “It is possible to read the history of this country as one long struggle to extend the liberties established in our Constitution to everyone in America.” Extending those liberties and constitutional protections to corporations is antithetical to the principles of Democracy. While the Supreme Court has been slowly granting rights of persons to corporation for over 100 years, the phrase “Corporate Personhood” entered the popular lexicon soon after the January 21, 2010 Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court Case.

Rally Against Money In Politics Tuesday At Supreme Court

October 5, 2013 Resist! Citizens United, Democracy

On Tuesday, as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in McCutcheon v. FEC, activists and organizations across a wide spectrum of issues will speak out in support of protecting the integrity of our democracy at a rally outside the court. In the McCutcheon case, the Supreme Court will decide whether or not to strike down important caps on how much money an individual can contribute directly to political campaigns. WHAT: Rally against big money in politics and McCutcheon v. FEC WHERE: The Supreme Court of the United States (1 First St NE, Washington, DC) WHEN: Tuesday, October 8th at 9:30 am (speakers at 10:00am)

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