Rep. Deutch Introduces OCCUPIED Constitutional Amendment To Ban Corporate

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Rep. Deutch Introduces OCCUPIED Constitutional Amendment To Ban Corporate Money In Politics To Ban Corporate Money In Politics
http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/18/372361/rep-deutch-introduces-occupied-constitutional-amendment-to-ban-corporate-money-in-politics/

In one of the greatest signs yet that the 99 Percenters are having an impact, Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, today introduced an amendment that would ban corporate money in politics and end corporate personhood once and for all.

Deutch’s amendment, called the Outlawing Corporate Cash Undermining the Public Interest in our Elections and Democracy (OCCUPIED) Amendment, would overturn the Citizens United decision, re-establishing the right of Congress and the states to regulate campaign finance laws, and to effectively outlaw the ability of for-profit corporations to contribute to campaign spending.

“No matter how long protesters camp out across America, big banks will continue to pour money into shadow groups promoting candidates more likely to slash Medicaid for poor children than help families facing foreclosure,” said Deutch in a statement provided to ThinkProgress. “No matter how strongly Ohio families fight for basic fairness for workers, the Koch Brothers will continue to pour millions into campaigns aimed at protecting the wealthiest 1%. No matter how fed up seniors in South Florida are with an agenda that puts oil subsidies ahead of Social Security and Medicare, corporations will continue to fund massive publicity campaigns and malicious attack ads against the public interest. Americans of all stripes agree that for far too long, corporations have occupied Washington and drowned out the voices of the people. I introduced the OCCUPIED Amendment because the days of corporate control of our democracy. It is time to return the nation’s capital and our democracy to the people.”


Deutch proposes to ban corporate money from elections
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/dcblog/2011/11/deutch_proposes_to_ban_corpora_1.html

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The amendment would overturn a Supreme Court decision that Deutch thinks wrongly awarded freedom of speech rights to corporations. He calls it the OCCUPIED amendment: Outlawing Corporate Cash Undermining the Public Interest in our Elections and Democracy.

(snip)
“Americans of all stripes agree that for far too long corporations have occupied Washington and drowned out the voices of the people,” said Deutch, a Demcroat from Boca Raton.

“No matter how fed up seniors in South Florida are with an agenda that puts oil subsidies ahead of Social Security and Medicare, corporations will continue to fund massive publicity campaigns and malicious attack ads against the public interest," he said.

[JDPriestly]

1. K&R

[sabrina 1]

2. Oh fantastic! He gets it. This is the root of all the problems

the fact that our Government has been bought. I'm not familiar with him, but I love that he is doing this. There's probably not a chance in hell that the current Corporate Lobbyists posing as members of Congress, will support such a bill, but maybe we can help, over the next year.

Just read an article that put this all in perspective, the rich, like Bloomberg, 12th richest man in the country, are now adding to their lists of luxury items, seats in Congress, Governorships, Mayoralties to add to their possessions and their status. And they will buy the WH, they have been buying the WH for a long time.

The first step has to be to take money out of politics, Rep. Deutsch is absolutely correct. We must make sure he gets reelected and that we elect others who will back him up because there are so few like him left in Congress right now.

[DocMac]

3. We'll see.

In fact, we will see a whole lot soon enough.

By the end of the year we will know how to proceed.

[meow2u3]

4. That's not the only amendment that needs to be introduced

My idea is to bring about the 28th, 29th, and 30th amendment:

The 28th Amendment would be to limit personhood to human beings; the 29th, to limit campaign contributions to natural persons, and individuals at that; and the 30th Amendment would be to ban free trade agreements without a 2/3 majority vote in both houses.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

5. WOW! That is really exciting!!

Naming it after the movement!! Wow! Cool!

No I don't entertain fantasies that this will go anywhere soon, but as we really do know, real systemic change happens slowly, behemoth edifices transform slooooowly with creaky advances and backslides.

[NYC_SKP]

6. K/R...