John Nichols: A Resounding Vote Against Koch Brothers Dollarocracy

[Iwillnevergiveup]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/179178/resounding-vote-against-koch-brothers-dollarocracy?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=email_nation&utm_campaign=Email%20Nation%20-%2020140403&newsletter=email_nation_thursday#

##snip##

"On Tuesday, thirteen Wisconsin communities, urban and rural, liberal and conservative, Democratic-leaning and Republican-leaning answered the call of constitutional reform. Even as groups associated with billionaire donors Charles and David Koch were meddling in local elections in the state, voters were demanding, by overwhelming margins, that the right to organize fair and open elections be restored.

It even happened in Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s hometown of Delavan, where voters faced the question:


Shall the City of Delavan adopt the following resolution:

RESOLVED, the City of Delavan, Wisconsin, calls for reclaiming democracy from the corrupting effects of undue corporate influence by amending the United States Constitution to establish that:

1. Only human beings, not corporations, unions, nonprofit organizations nor similar associations are entitled to constitutional rights, and

2. Money is not speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we hereby instruct our state and federal representatives to enact resolutions and legislation to advance this effort.

76 percent of the Delavan residents who went to the polls voted “Yes!”

##snip##

[BrotherIvan]

1. EVERY STATE must enact this same provision

Public financing is the only way to get the money out of politics. If we all concentrate on this one thing, we will get much in return. FIGHT!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

2. Spreading the resolution as far and wide as possible.

Please pass it on. It's simply brilliant.

RESOLVED, the City of Delavan, Wisconsin, calls for reclaiming democracy from the corrupting effects of undue corporate influence by amending the United States Constitution to establish that:

1. Only human beings, not corporations, unions, nonprofit organizations nor similar associations are entitled to constitutional rights, and

2. Money is not speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we hereby instruct our state and federal representatives to enact resolutions and legislation to advance this effort.

[myrna minx]

3. K&R

[Madam Mossfern]

4. That's great

but does it have any clout? Even if every town in the United States passes a public question like this, does it have any legal power to overturn Citizens United or the most recent decision of the Supreme Court?

...or will it merely make people feel good without any real effect in facilitating the reversal of those rulings?

[toby jo]

5. Massages the message.

Ownership of money and ownership of speech are 2 completely different arches of ownership with correspondingly different effects on society.

[LongTomH]

6. The language of the resolution is very close to the Constitutional Amendment proposed by........

......Move to Amend

[blkmusclmachine]

7. Fat Tony smirks at this "funny little display." Good.

[Cha]

8. Kickity Kick KICK! KICK!