Former Wisconsin US Senator Russ Feingold has established a new political action committee called Progressives United. According to Politico, "Progressives United’s mission is to focus, in particular, on countering the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, which gave corporations much greater latitude in donating to political campaigns. The ruling overturned key portions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, better known as the McCain-Feingold Act, which limited corporate influence on elections. The high court’s ruling, Feingold told The Huffington Post, is “one of the most lawless decisions in the history of our country” and needs to be overturned. Progressives United will work toward “mitigating the effects of, and eventually overturning, the Citizens United decision,” the group’s website says."
The US Supreme Court's decision substantially contributed to the miserable politics infecting the US today. Any effort to unite Americans to push back against unlimited corporate contributions and "personhood" for big business deserves public support. Click read more, to learn about Progressives United.
ABOUT PROGRESSIVES UNITED
Our Mission
In January of 2010, the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision greatly expanded the corrupting influence of corporate special interests. It's time we fought back. Launched one year after that decision, Progressives United will:
1. Empower Americans to stand up against the exploding corporate influence in Washington, especially since the Citizens United decision.
2. Hold our representatives accountable to every constituent, regardless of economic class or insider access.
3. Support national, state, and local candidates who stand up for our progressive ideals.
Moving Forward
On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court issued a historic decision in Citizens United v. FEC that undercut one hundred years of precedent, and declared that corporations have the same political rights as individuals. Progressives United is founded in the wake of that disastrous decision to fight back by empowering Americans to take back their right to free speech and fair elections.
Progressives United aims to build a massive grassroots effort dedicated to mitigating the effects of, and eventually overturning, the Citizens United decision. It is an organization that works to provide means for individuals to stand up to the big money special interests ruling Washington. We will work to ensure that elected officials are held accountable to their constituents and are not beholden to corporate interests. Additionally we will work to elect leaders at all levels of government who will stand up for progressive ideals.
Progressives United also will be ready to rapidly respond to stories, ensuring that democratic principles and individual rights are at the forefront of all stories regarding corporate influence in politics. We will also closely monitor all elected officials, calling them out when they are acting against what is best for their constituents in order to benefit a special interest. And we will ensure that campaign finance is a prominent issue in the 2012 campaign; we want all candidates to take a strong public stand on campaign finance reform.
With citizens' confidence that their government is working for them an all time low, it could not be more important that we work to ensure that our elected officials are accountable to their constituents. We simply cannot allow our representatives to become liable to corporate interests willing to spend millions to elect politicians sympathetic to their agenda. Progressives United is dedicated to opposing corporate dominance over our elections. We will work every day to ensure Abraham Lincoln’s words that we are "government of the people, by the people, for the people" remain true.
7 comments:
Can someone explain to me the difference in a corporation making unlimited donations to political candidates and initiatives and unions doing the same thing?
If a agrees GE, Google and Progressive Car Insurance cannot make political donations, wouldn't the court have to determine SEIU, AFSCME and the NEA stay on the sidelines as well?
Strange, I see no difference, two organizations made up of anonymous contributors involving millions of $, yet corporations are the only villain here.
What am I missing? I am sure that it would not have anything to with the political party these funds are directed to.
I gave to this PAC.
What about Soros?
I see no difference, other than political party's as the 1st poster mentioned, between corporations & unions. It's either both or neither, in my opinion.
There is no difference as far as the contributions are concerned whether they are made by a union or a corporation.
What a crock of s@#t that the influence of unions can be compared to corporations; as though unions carry anywhere near the influence a) they once did or b) to influence the course of the economy as corporations do. That somehow unions are responsible for the economic grief this nation has come to, defies belief and facts and reality. Look at income disparity and wages and jobs: find one fact to persuade me that somehow unions are the root of evil in elections. Right now-- as the wacko right knows-- union members are hanging on by a thread. (As far as union leadership goes, esp the ones who defend Seijas, that's another matter.)
Corporations are profit driven for stock holders. Unions work to increase the working environment for their members. Personally, I don't think either unions or corporations are "people". Their respective members are people who are free to donate to and vote for candidates of their choice. The choice of candidates by unions or corporations may not relect the members' choice.
After seeing this expenditues I regret not listening to my mom and becoming and Acountant.
@ anons back Public Employee Unions have LOTS of influence and are financially killing us all more so than WalMart.
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