Not only is the Supreme Corp allowing corruption of our democracy by big money, it too has been corrupted by this same process. The following is from Senator Sanders.
When I read the Supreme Court’s McCutcheon decision, I had to
ask myself a question: What democracy is Chief Justice John Roberts
living in? Because it doesn’t look anything like ours.
In McCutcheon, just like in Citizens United,
the Roberts majority of the Supreme Court essentially legalized
corruption, first by corporations and now by super-wealthy individual
donors. So in John Roberts' democracy, corporations are supposed to have
the same rights as people and more influence on our government. And
when a billionaire spends thousands of dollars on every Congressional
race in the country, they’re not looking for anything in return, they’re
just speaking their mind.
It’s absurd. When my friend Russ Feingold joined
with John McCain and passed campaign-finance reform, they did it
because huge, unlimited checks were corrupting our government. There was
proof, and the Supreme Court agreed: When corporations call all the
shots, that’s not democracy, that’s corruption. That’s allowing the
billionaire class to buy elections.
But that was then. Today’s conservative court,
in 5-4 votes, embraces corruption. That has to stop or this country
will rapidly evolve into an oligarchic form of society where virtually
all power rests in a handful of wealthy hands.
Join me to tell the Supreme Court that corruption is corruption!
This matters to our middle class. The more corporate money is allowed to
corrupt our government, the more elected officials are beholden to the
rich and the powerful, the harder it becomes to win fights for working
Americans. Corruption affects everything. Corruption makes it harder to
pass an increase in the minimum wage, to expand Social Security
benefits, to reverse climate change and to block the horrible trade
deals that send jobs overseas. Corruption means letting Wall Street run
wild.
So it’s important to talk about what specific
contribution limits should be, or how much any one person should give,
and how we keep corporate interests like the Koch brothers from pouring
hundreds of millions into our elections. But before we do, we have to
make sure the Supreme Court understands the most fundamental reason why
we fight: saving our democracy from corruption.
Please, join me today and tell the Supreme Court that we cannot allow the billionaire class to buy our elections!
I’m partnering with my friends at Progressives
United, who have been on the front line of this fight, to tell the
Supreme Court that corporate influence isn’t part of American democracy.
It’s corruption.
Thank you for all that you do.
Sincerely,
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders
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