June, 25 2012, 04:54pm EDT
Kucinich Responds to Supreme Court Ruling "We Must Get Private Money out of Politics"
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today responded to a ruling by the Supreme Court reaffirming Citizens United and overturning a Montana limit on corporate campaign expenditures. Congressman Kucinich renewed his support for H. J. Res. 100, a constitutional amendment that would require all federal elections to be publicly financed.
"Today, the Supreme Court doubled down on its 2010 mistake in Citizens United and applied it to all 50 states and every city, county, town and village in the United States.
WASHINGTON
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today responded to a ruling by the Supreme Court reaffirming Citizens United and overturning a Montana limit on corporate campaign expenditures. Congressman Kucinich renewed his support for H. J. Res. 100, a constitutional amendment that would require all federal elections to be publicly financed.
"Today, the Supreme Court doubled down on its 2010 mistake in Citizens United and applied it to all 50 states and every city, county, town and village in the United States.
"This is not a partisan issue. This is a problem that affects Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike. The power of money in elections is undeniable. The voices of ordinary Americans are shrouded by the wealthiest Americans who are able to donate tremendous amounts of money to campaigns, and therefore determine the outcome of the elections. The American principle of 'one person, one vote' is greatly distorted by this influence of money.
"The idea that the winner of an election is the candidate who raises the most money is fundamentally unacceptable. To eliminate this form of injustice, I have recently introduced H.J.Res.100, an amendment to the Constitution that would require campaigns use only public funds.
"With corporate, private financing we have officials working for the interest of corporations. With public financing we have officials working for the public. The fate of democracy is in our hands. We must keep our elections free from the corrupting influence of corporate money. We must pass H.J.Res 100."
Dennis Kucinich is an American politician. A U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1997 to 2013, he was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 2004 and 2008.
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