SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Jimmy Carter Slams Citizens United as Threat to Democracy
Carter hopes "Supreme Court will reverse that stupid ruling."
Sep 12, 2012
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter issued scathing remarks on the impacts of Citizens United, slamming the "financial corruption" and "excessive influx of money" that is making the U.S. electoral process "one of the worst in the world."
Carter made the comments speaking at Conversations at The Carter Center, a town-hall style discussion event, Tuesday evening in Atlanta.
Referring to the 2010 Citizens United decision, Carter said he hopes the "Supreme Court will reverse that stupid ruling," the Associated Press reports him as saying.
"We have one of the worst election processes in the world right in the United States of America, and it's almost entirely because of the excessive influx of money," he said.
"You know how much I raised to run against Gerald Ford? Zero," Carter said. "You know how much I raised to run against Ronald Reagan? Zero. You know how much will be raised this year by all presidential, Senate and House campaigns? $6 billion. That's 6,000 millions."
Newser reports that Carter instead praised a publicly-financed elections currently used by other countries, and said the U.S. should follow suit.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter issued scathing remarks on the impacts of Citizens United, slamming the "financial corruption" and "excessive influx of money" that is making the U.S. electoral process "one of the worst in the world."
Carter made the comments speaking at Conversations at The Carter Center, a town-hall style discussion event, Tuesday evening in Atlanta.
Referring to the 2010 Citizens United decision, Carter said he hopes the "Supreme Court will reverse that stupid ruling," the Associated Press reports him as saying.
"We have one of the worst election processes in the world right in the United States of America, and it's almost entirely because of the excessive influx of money," he said.
"You know how much I raised to run against Gerald Ford? Zero," Carter said. "You know how much I raised to run against Ronald Reagan? Zero. You know how much will be raised this year by all presidential, Senate and House campaigns? $6 billion. That's 6,000 millions."
Newser reports that Carter instead praised a publicly-financed elections currently used by other countries, and said the U.S. should follow suit.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter issued scathing remarks on the impacts of Citizens United, slamming the "financial corruption" and "excessive influx of money" that is making the U.S. electoral process "one of the worst in the world."
Carter made the comments speaking at Conversations at The Carter Center, a town-hall style discussion event, Tuesday evening in Atlanta.
Referring to the 2010 Citizens United decision, Carter said he hopes the "Supreme Court will reverse that stupid ruling," the Associated Press reports him as saying.
"We have one of the worst election processes in the world right in the United States of America, and it's almost entirely because of the excessive influx of money," he said.
"You know how much I raised to run against Gerald Ford? Zero," Carter said. "You know how much I raised to run against Ronald Reagan? Zero. You know how much will be raised this year by all presidential, Senate and House campaigns? $6 billion. That's 6,000 millions."
Newser reports that Carter instead praised a publicly-financed elections currently used by other countries, and said the U.S. should follow suit.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy