How Shall 80 Percent of the People Come Forward Against Citizens United?

[OlympicBrian]

A Constitutional amendment turning back the recent Citizens United Supreme Court decision has been proposed. The Citizens United decision allows unlimited, anonymous, and potentially foreign money in--to influence both political ads, and lawmaking, via lobbyists. However, such an amendment will not come fast enough to ensure fairness now (nor could the Congress act in time). So it may be up to us, the people.

Unfortunately, we are left completely open and unprotected--this danger creeps into the heart of our nation at this very moment. In fact, the US Chamber of Commerce is hard at work funneling funds to political ads, and is making great plans to vastly expand the influence of corporate control.

What's remarkable is 80 percent of the public is against the CU decision! How many issues do the American people agree on to such a large degree? The answer is few--Americans stand firmly against this atrocity.

"Americans of both parties overwhelmingly oppose a Supreme Court ruling that allows corporations and unions to spend as much as they want on political campaigns, and most favor new limits on such spending, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/17/AR2010021701151.html

So, our upcoming election is based on a premise that 80 percent of Americans disagree with. That's shocking! But there is something we can do about it, now.

First and foremost, go out and vote. But then, ones the votes are counted, we have it within our rights to reject the outcomes of elections tainted by money 80 percent of us reject.

A progressive Secretary of State could refuse to certify the results of an elections for any state. Sure, they might be fired, but it would make this issue even more visible. At the same time, citizens could hold massive revolts against the election results, since so many of them agree that they are based on the flawed premise of tainted money.

Will a brave Secretary of State come forward?

"I hope we shall... crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and to bid defiance to the laws of our country."

- Thomas Jefferson to George Logan, 1816.

"The selfish spirit of commerce knows no country, and feels no passion or principle but that of gain."

- Thomas Jefferson to Larkin Smith, 1809.

"It is the duty of the governed, to endeavour to rectify the mistake, and appease the passion. They have not at first any other right, than to represent their grievances, and to pray for redress, unless an emergence is so pressing, as not to allow time for receiving an answer to their applications which rarely happens. If their applications are disregarded, then that kind of position becomes justifiable, which can be made without breaking the laws, or disturbing the public peace. This consists in the prevention of the oppressors reaping advantage from their oppressions, and not in their punishment. For experience may teach them what reason did not; and harsh methods, cannot be proper, till milder ones have failed.

If at length it become undoubted, that an inveterate resolution is formed to annihilate the liberties of the governed, the English history affords frequent examples of resistance by force. What particular circumstances will in any future case justify such resistance, can never be ascertained till they happen. Perhaps it may be allowable to say, generally, that it never can be justifiable, until the people are FULLY CONVINCED, that any further sub-mission will be destructive to their happiness."

- John Dickinson, The Pennsylvania Farmer's Remedy, 1768.