July, 30 2019, 12:00am EDT
'Democracy for All' Constitutional Amendment Would "Wipe Clean the Dark Stain Citizens United Has Left on Our Democracy"
"The basic principle of democracy is one person, one vote - not one dollar, one vote."Â
WASHINGTON
Today, Senate Democrats introduced the Democracy for All Amendment, a proposed Constitutional amendment that would overturn the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC among other key court rulings concerning money in politics. The amendment, led by Senators Tom Udall (D-NM) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), would affirm the right of Congress and state legislatures to regulate campaign financing and set rules and limits on corporate spending in public elections.
Morris Pearl, former Managing Director at Blackrock, Inc. and Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires, issued the following statement in response to the amendment's introduction:
"Citizens United has wreaked havoc on American politics by allowing deep-pocketed corporations and powerful special interests to spend unfathomable amounts of money on political campaigns. The ruling, among several other key court cases addressed in this proposed amendment, has transformed our political system into a pay-to-play scheme where only the wealthiest among us can make their voices heard while average Americans are hung out to dry. The basic principle of democracy is one person, one vote - not one dollar, one vote.
If we continue to allow corporations and the rich to keep a stranglehold on American politics, our democracy will increasingly only reflect the interests of an elite few and reach an untenable point. That's why we welcome today's introduction of, and encourage swift action on, the Democracy for All Amendment. The Patriotic Millionaires have long taken the position that everyone in this country should have the same political influence as us wealthy folks, and we are thrilled to support this amendment with that mission in mind. It's time for this country to wipe clean the dark stain that Citizens United has left on our democracy. The Democracy for All Amendment sends a timely and powerful message that democracy is not for sale."
The Patriotic Millionaires is a group of high-net worth Americans who share a profound concern about the destabilizing level of inequality in America. Our work centers on the two things that matter most in a capitalist democracy: power and money. Our goal is to ensure that the country's political economy is structured to meet the needs of regular Americans, rather than just millionaires. We focus on three "first" principles: a highly progressive tax system, a livable minimum wage, and equal political representation for all citizens.
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Privacy Defenders Decry 'Spy Draft' in Section 702 Renewal Advanced by Senate
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Civil liberties defenders on Thursday decried the U.S. Senate's advancement of the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, which critics say lawmakers are trying to ram through without protection against warrantless surveillance and with a provision that would effectively make every American a spy whether they like it or not.
Senators voted 67-32 in favor of a cloture motion to begin voting on RISAA, a bill to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which expires on Friday. FISA—a highly controversial law that has been abused hundreds of thousands of times—allows warrantless surveillance of non-U.S. citizens but also often sweeps up Americans' communication data in the process.
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This so-called "Make Everyone a Spy" clause would allow the attorney general or director of national intelligence to force electronic communication service providers to "immediately provide... all information, facilities, or assistance" the government deems necessary.
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Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)—who
said earlier this week that the bill would dragoon the American people into becoming "an agent for Big Brother"—on Thursday argued that "this issue demands a debate about meaningful reforms, not a rushed vote to rubber-stamp more warrantless government surveillance powers."
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However, the amendment contains exceptions to the warrant requirement in the event of unspecified emergencies and cyberattacks.
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The Biden administration and U.S. intelligence agencies vehemently oppose the Durbin-Cramer amendment. The White House called the measure "a reckless policy choice contrary to the key lessons of 9/11 and not grounded in any constitutional requirement or statute."
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The arrests of dozens of Columbia University and Barnard College students on Thursday "galvanized" other supporters of Palestinian rights on the campuses, as hundreds of students occupied the school's western lawn after New York City police filled at least two buses with protesters who had been detained for setting up an encampment.
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Columbia President Minouche Shafik informed the campus community on Thursday that she had authorized the police to clear the encampment.
As it has been in the past, the school has become a center of anti-war protests—and crackdowns by school officials and the police—since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza in October.
Pro-Palestinian students and alumni have demanded that Columbia divest from companies that profit from Israel's apartheid policies in the occupied Palestinian territories and cancel its dual degree program with Tel Aviv University.
In response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations, Columbia in November suspended the campus chapters of Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine—an action that pushed the New York Civil Liberties Union and Palestine Legal to file a lawsuit on behalf of the students last month.
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"Correct," replied Shafik.
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