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
(Photo: takomabibelot via Flickr.)
The Overwhelming Consensus Against Citizens United
Jan 23, 2016
Year in which the U.S. Supreme Court in the Citizens United decision struck down restrictions on political spending, including secret spending by outside groups unaffiliated with campaigns or parties: 2010
Since the decision, amount in unlimited contributions that's poured into federal elections: $1.5 billion
Of that total, amount for which no donors have been disclosed: $500 million
According to an in-depth survey conducted last year, percent of Americans who say the system for funding political campaigns needs to be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt: 85
Percent of Democrats who say that: 84
Percent of Republicans who agree: 81
Number of Americans who've signed petitions to date supporting a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United: more than 5 million
Number of states that have called for such an amendment, with West Virginia so far the only one in the South: 16
Number of local governments that have endorsed the amendment: 681
Of those local governments that want to overturn Citizens United, number in the South: 43
Year in which a majority of the U.S. Senate voted in support of such an amendment: 2014
Date on which that amendment was re-introduced in the 114th Congress: 4/28/2015
Date on which Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina became the first Republican to sign on to the amendment: 11/5/2015
Date on which Ron Fein, legal director of the campaign-finance watchdog group Free Speech for People, announced that given the successes of the reform movement it was time to move from defense to offense with litigation: 1/21/2016
Date on which a mass march calling for an immediate end to big-money corruption in politics will kick off at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and head to Washington, D.C. as part of a campaign called Democracy Spring: 4/2/2016
Number of people who've already pledged to risk arrest at the U.S. Capitol as part of that campaign: 1,500
(Click on figure to go to source. To comment on or to share this index, click here. )
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 Institute for Southern Studies
Sue Sturgis
Sue Sturgis is the Director and regular contributor to the Institute for Southern Study's online magazine, Facing South, with a focus on energy and environmental issues. She is a former staff writer for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Independent Weekly in Durham, North Carolina. Sue is the author or co-author of five Institute reports, including Faith in the Gulf (Aug/Sept 2008), Hurricane Katrina and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (January 2008) and Blueprint for Gulf Renewal (Aug/Sept 2007). Sue holds a Masters in Journalism from New York University.
Year in which the U.S. Supreme Court in the Citizens United decision struck down restrictions on political spending, including secret spending by outside groups unaffiliated with campaigns or parties: 2010
Since the decision, amount in unlimited contributions that's poured into federal elections: $1.5 billion
Of that total, amount for which no donors have been disclosed: $500 million
According to an in-depth survey conducted last year, percent of Americans who say the system for funding political campaigns needs to be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt: 85
Percent of Democrats who say that: 84
Percent of Republicans who agree: 81
Number of Americans who've signed petitions to date supporting a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United: more than 5 million
Number of states that have called for such an amendment, with West Virginia so far the only one in the South: 16
Number of local governments that have endorsed the amendment: 681
Of those local governments that want to overturn Citizens United, number in the South: 43
Year in which a majority of the U.S. Senate voted in support of such an amendment: 2014
Date on which that amendment was re-introduced in the 114th Congress: 4/28/2015
Date on which Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina became the first Republican to sign on to the amendment: 11/5/2015
Date on which Ron Fein, legal director of the campaign-finance watchdog group Free Speech for People, announced that given the successes of the reform movement it was time to move from defense to offense with litigation: 1/21/2016
Date on which a mass march calling for an immediate end to big-money corruption in politics will kick off at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and head to Washington, D.C. as part of a campaign called Democracy Spring: 4/2/2016
Number of people who've already pledged to risk arrest at the U.S. Capitol as part of that campaign: 1,500
(Click on figure to go to source. To comment on or to share this index, click here. )
Sue Sturgis
Sue Sturgis is the Director and regular contributor to the Institute for Southern Study's online magazine, Facing South, with a focus on energy and environmental issues. She is a former staff writer for The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Independent Weekly in Durham, North Carolina. Sue is the author or co-author of five Institute reports, including Faith in the Gulf (Aug/Sept 2008), Hurricane Katrina and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (January 2008) and Blueprint for Gulf Renewal (Aug/Sept 2007). Sue holds a Masters in Journalism from New York University.
Year in which the U.S. Supreme Court in the Citizens United decision struck down restrictions on political spending, including secret spending by outside groups unaffiliated with campaigns or parties: 2010
Since the decision, amount in unlimited contributions that's poured into federal elections: $1.5 billion
Of that total, amount for which no donors have been disclosed: $500 million
According to an in-depth survey conducted last year, percent of Americans who say the system for funding political campaigns needs to be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt: 85
Percent of Democrats who say that: 84
Percent of Republicans who agree: 81
Number of Americans who've signed petitions to date supporting a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United: more than 5 million
Number of states that have called for such an amendment, with West Virginia so far the only one in the South: 16
Number of local governments that have endorsed the amendment: 681
Of those local governments that want to overturn Citizens United, number in the South: 43
Year in which a majority of the U.S. Senate voted in support of such an amendment: 2014
Date on which that amendment was re-introduced in the 114th Congress: 4/28/2015
Date on which Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina became the first Republican to sign on to the amendment: 11/5/2015
Date on which Ron Fein, legal director of the campaign-finance watchdog group Free Speech for People, announced that given the successes of the reform movement it was time to move from defense to offense with litigation: 1/21/2016
Date on which a mass march calling for an immediate end to big-money corruption in politics will kick off at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and head to Washington, D.C. as part of a campaign called Democracy Spring: 4/2/2016
Number of people who've already pledged to risk arrest at the U.S. Capitol as part of that campaign: 1,500
(Click on figure to go to source. To comment on or to share this index, click here. )
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.