Note: Please refer to Carissa Miller's diary for a much more detailed report. I can't match her photos, but for those of you who would like to listen to the video footage of Sen. Klobuchar's, Sen. Al Franken's, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse's, Rep. Ted Deutsch' and Rep. Jim McGovern's speeches, you can do so here at the bottom of the diary. I know it's a double entry for the same event, but I think the video footage is nice to listen to. Tell me, if you want to pull it down and I will do so immediately.
But I am just amazed that how in the last weeks there has been very little discussion of what I consider the most important issue facing this country and I would hope we can focus at least for one day on the fact that we don't want billionaires to buy the government of the United States of America.
This said Bernie Sanders walking back from yesterday's petition handover event in DC at the Capitol lawn.
My own focus on this event was rather fuzzy, but as I was there, I can as well just show you the photos and few videos I got from the event.
This event took place behind the Capitol on the lawn area and was one of the typical stake-out events, where Senators and Congressmen are given the opportunity to say some words to an issue of importance like this one, the fight against Citizens United.
DailyKos engaged in the petition drive and their own petitions are supposedly of course in this box. :) You can see more boxes in one of the videos and photos below.
Yesterday, late at Monday night, the Senate voted to advance the amendment 72-18, meaning it will be debated in the coming days before a vote later this week, probably on Thursday.
Thanks to grassroots organizing and campaigning by Public Citizen, Common Cause, People for the American Way, and many others, like DailyKos, elected officials in Washington, DC have responded.
In this article Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is quoted as saying:
"We are here to fight back against a Supreme Court that says there is no difference between free speech and billions of dollars spent by the privileged few to swing elections and buy off legislators," said September 8, as the U.S. Senate kicked off a historic debate over a proposal to amend the constitution to limit the role of money in politics in the wake of Supreme Court decisions such as Citizens United.
and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT):
"Because the Supreme Court based its rulings on a flawed interpretation of the First Amendment, a statutory fix alone will not suffice.... Only a constitutional amendment can overturn the Supreme Court's devastating campaign finance decisions."
Before the vote, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) put the problem succinctly:
“The major issue of our time is whether the United States of America retains its democratic foundation or whether we devolve into an oligarchic form of society where a handful of billionaires are able to control our political process by spending hundreds of millions of dollars to elect candidates who represent their interests.”
Almost half of the Senate, plus 16 states and over 500 cities that have passed resolutions calling for an amendment, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Over 3 million people have signed petitions calling for overturning Citizens United, and polls show overwhelming support for an amendment from across the political spectrum. These were handed over yesterday in these boxes:
Some grassroots participants stood behind the podium for the Senators, holding their signs up. They were not allowed to show the signs organization's origins. Our DailyKos banner couldn't be displayed.
Here are the Senators waiting for their turn to speak:
... and the main stream media camera teams waiting to catch every of their words:
Here are some Senators and their quotes:
Robert Weissman (President of Public Citizens), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO), Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN)
Robert Weissman:
“A handful of super rich donors and giant corporations are now flooding our elections and determining entire narratives of closely contested races... The American people are furious with the state of campaign finance in this country. They can’t stand the negative advertisements that are dominating the airways.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar:
“This Congress forgets what the people really care about ... they don’t want to see these ads. They don’t want to see this outside money.”
Sen. Al Franken:
“These negative, poisonous, untruthful ads have just proliferated ... and the American people know this is wrong.”
Sen. Mark Udall:
The proposed amendment, sponsored by Democratic Congress broad power to shape campaign finance laws. It would effectively overturn the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC and 2014 ruling in McCutcheon v. FEC, which struck down laws restricting when corporations and unions can spend money on elections, and how much individuals can donate to candidates in a two-year period.
Sen. Bernie Sanders:
This is the most important issue to Americans in years. If people think this is some kind of esoteric issue, not related to jobs, the economy, and wages, and women’s rights, and income and wealth inequality, and healthcare and global warming, you are deadly wrong.”...“Why do people like the Koch brother’s spend hundreds of millions of dollars?” If you understand what they stand for, and that is to end, do away with social security, do away with medicare, do away with medicaid do away with the concept of the minimum wage, do away with the environmental protection agency — that is the struggle. They have an agenda.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse:
Before Citizens United, the Republicans had a candidate for president willing to have a climate change plan and brought a carbon regulations bill to the Senate floor. But now “the Koch brothers, the biggest polluters in this country have gotten together, and they’ve silenced them.”
I have some amateur video footage, if you like to hear Sen. Whitehouse, Sen. Klobuchar, Sen. Al Franken, Deutsch, you can watch it below.
I liked Sen. Klobuchar and Sen. Whitehouse the most. I couldn't catch Bernie Sanders. His speech is probably best seen in the video of the article of Huffington Post or on C-SPAN.
Senator Whitehouse speaking:
Sen. Klochubar
Sen. Al Franken at TC 3:10 (oh so long)
Rep.Ted Deutsch (FL) at TC 7:35
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA)at TC 9:52.
Oh, and you want to see what the actual resolution S.J. RES 19 really says ?
Proposing and amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to contribution and expenditures intended to affect elections.
``Article--
``Section 1. To advance democratic self-government and political
equality, and to protect the integrity of government and the electoral
process, Congress and the States may regulate and set reasonable limits
on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to
influence elections.
``Section 2. Congress and the States shall have power to implement
and enforce this article by appropriate legislation, and may
distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other
artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such
entities from spending money to influence elections.
``Section 3. Nothing in this article shall be construed to grant
Congress or the States the power to abridge the freedom of the
press.''.
Good luck, folks.