Florida doesn't have much in common with Vermont, except that both states have two US Senators. Vermont is leading the new battle for independence: independence from the terror inflicted on our democracy by a campaign finance system run amok, thanks to the Bush Supreme Court.
At Eye On Miami, we feature the tyranny of political money with sad, depressing regularity. Unfortunately, the changes wrought by the Bush Supreme Court make it increasingly difficult to track and disclose exactly who and what interests are funding politicians. As a result, we are less and less a democracy and more and more a nation organized around a pay to play shadow government.
Some fear that a constitutional convention could open the door for amending the US Constitution to provide for extremist measures that the far right has been unable to advance; in other words, that overturning Citizens United could be a Trojan Horse for worse. But take a look at Congress right now: the far right has crippled federal authority. Our exceptional democracy is hostage.
Along this line, Florida voters ought to join Vermont, that just became the first state to call for a convention to amend the US Constitution to reverse Citizen's United and get money out of politics.
Right now, a dozen more states are considering similar resolutions. The grass roots organization Rootstrikers is leading the campaign to organize 34 states to trigger a convention. "Vermont's victory will only have meaning if we can keep the ball rolling in the next states — but if we can, we can save the electoral process and bring back the days of free, equal votes!"
The group is calling on California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut, Maryland, Colorado, Oregon and Montana to vote for a convention too, and help overturn "one of the Supreme Court's biggest mistakes."
PETITION TO STATE LEGISLATURES: We call on you to stop the flood of money corrupting politics and call for a convention to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizen's United decision.
At Eye On Miami, we feature the tyranny of political money with sad, depressing regularity. Unfortunately, the changes wrought by the Bush Supreme Court make it increasingly difficult to track and disclose exactly who and what interests are funding politicians. As a result, we are less and less a democracy and more and more a nation organized around a pay to play shadow government.
Some fear that a constitutional convention could open the door for amending the US Constitution to provide for extremist measures that the far right has been unable to advance; in other words, that overturning Citizens United could be a Trojan Horse for worse. But take a look at Congress right now: the far right has crippled federal authority. Our exceptional democracy is hostage.
Along this line, Florida voters ought to join Vermont, that just became the first state to call for a convention to amend the US Constitution to reverse Citizen's United and get money out of politics.
Right now, a dozen more states are considering similar resolutions. The grass roots organization Rootstrikers is leading the campaign to organize 34 states to trigger a convention. "Vermont's victory will only have meaning if we can keep the ball rolling in the next states — but if we can, we can save the electoral process and bring back the days of free, equal votes!"
The group is calling on California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut, Maryland, Colorado, Oregon and Montana to vote for a convention too, and help overturn "one of the Supreme Court's biggest mistakes."
PETITION TO STATE LEGISLATURES: We call on you to stop the flood of money corrupting politics and call for a convention to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizen's United decision.
3 comments:
I feel uneasy about this initiative too.
Guess it will depend a lot how it is worded. Instead of just overturning, a new fathua should be created:
Like: Corporations and similar constructs shall never be regarded as "People" or have standing in the political process. Or something to that effect.
Many laws and rules I find to be deficient by not having specified clearly enough what is not intended and included.
The most galling thing about Citizen United is that SCOTUS used a clerical error from over 100 Years ago to please their puppeteers.
I have some qualms about a Constitutional Convention, but it takes 34 states to call for one and 38 states to ratify an amendment. The simple act of calling for a convention should be enough to get the attention of the politicians in D.C., just like Cantor's loss got the attention of the GOP. We have to do something, that's for sure. It isn't going to get any better by ignoring the elephant in the room.
If you overturn Citizens United then you also prevent non-profits and unions from contributing large sums of money to political campaigns, making it very difficult to move public opinion left. You are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Corporations are not people, but people do not lose their right to participate in politics because they join together in corporate form (for profit, non profit, union, etc.) when that group association amplifies their collective voices.
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