Brian Schweitzer, Montana Governor, Throws Support Behind Overturning Citizens United

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer backs an initiative to make it state policy that corporations lack personhood rights.

WASHINGTON -- The state of Montana is ready to embrace its role as the primary opponent of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and of corporate money in politics, according to its Democratic governor, Brian Schweitzer.

On Thursday, Schweitzer and Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger, a Republican, held a press conference to announce their support for state ballot initiative I-166 that would make it Montana policy that corporations are not people and would ban corporate money in politics.

"Montana's going first, but we have before," Schweitzer told The Huffington Post. "It was Montana in 1912 that banned corporate money from our elections. We don't mind leading and we believe it has to start somewhere. This business of allowing corporations to bribe their way into government has got to stop."

The initiative is part of an effort by Common Cause Montana and other local groups, including the American Independent Business Alliance of Bozeman. The initiative also calls on Montana elected officials -- at the federal and state level-- to do everything within their power to prevent corporate money from entering the political system and to strive to pass legislation to reverse Citizens United, end corporate personhood and establish a level playing field for candidates.

"Corporations are not people," said C.B. Pearson, former president of Common Cause Montana and now treasurer for the campaign in favor of I-166 campaign, during Thursday's press conference. "They do not breathe; they do not have children; they do not die fighting in wars for our country. And they do not vote in elections. We need to act to get their money out of our elections.”

"The initiative has very good prospects in Montana, but what we're trying to do is start a prairie fire," Schweitzer said.

Montana is already at the center of a challenge to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. In December the Montana Supreme Court upheld the state's century-old ban on corporations' spending, including prohibiting their expenditures independent of candidates and parties.

This ruling, in Western Tradition Partnership v. Bullock, is in direct contradiction to the Citizens United finding that independent spending by corporations or any other entity cannot corrupt elected officials or cause the appearance of corruption and therefore cannot be banned. The case is now before the Supreme Court for a possible summary judgment.

The ruling by the Montana Supreme Court found that the state's unique history of corruption involving the early 20th-century mining barons known as the copper kings requires the upholding of Montana's Corrupt Practices Act, the 1912 law that would be partially invalidated by Citizens United.

Reform groups are now organizing in other states to adopt resolutions in support of Montana's challenge to the law, which is being led by Democratic Attorney General Steve Bullock. Resolutions and initiatives are also winding their way through numerous states, cities and municipalities to register opposition to the Citizens United ruling.

For Schweitzer, the primary concern is to prevent corruption in politics. Invoking the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a federal law preventing U.S. companies from bribing or using money to influence foreign government officials for specific actions, Schweitzer claims that with corporations free to spend money to influence policymakers in the United States, "we effectively have a monopoly on bribery in this country."

"Once Americans understand that's what's going on here they'll stand up, they'll stand with Montana," Schweitzer said.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Bohlinger as a Democrat.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[sexpicy]

04:17 AM on 11/08/2012

I rea;;u like Brian Schweitzer, amazing guy

[Sweendoggedly]

03:53 PM on 06/11/2012

The Federal Government desperately, DESPERATELY needs a law like Montana's. There really should be a simple rule allowing only private citizens to contribute to campaigns and ads, and those contributions should be severely limited in size. CU is a travesty of justice, and a pox on our nation.

[daylily12]

06:57 PM on 05/14/2012

I am completely impressed with this bold stance by Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer!

When our government is bought and paid for by Corporate America, they can plunder our Country and ravage our rights better any conquering army and they can limit our ability to fight back by influencing the appointment of judges who will always rule in their favor.

The rest of the country needs to follow Montana's lead or the FBI, CIA, EPA and Military will all be doing the bidding of corporations and the best interests of America will never be served again.

[Christopher Beech]

10:04 AM on 05/14/2012

Democratic governor, Brian Schweitzer.and Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger, a Republican, held a press conference to announce their support for state ballot initiative I-166 that would make it Montana policy that corporations are not people and would ban corporate money in politics. It is good to see that some GOP and Dems can work together for the good of the people. They realize that corporations are not people unlike Mitt and should not be able to use it's money to buy control of our government at any level, city state or federal. look at the GOP nominee, if not for all of the money that Mitt got from PACs funded by big cooperations there is a chance that he would still be fighting to win the nomination, without all of the money he had to launch negattive ads against his opponets they might still be in the hunt. The current Supreme Court has not come out with one decision that favored the average American that I can think of if I am wrong please point them out to me. If Mitt is elected what kind of judge do you think he would put in the Supreme Court, think about that before you vote.

[barrada nicto]

09:09 PM on 05/07/2012

Citizens United is Supreme Court corruption.

[pep1]

11:58 PM on 05/04/2012

Barry is the MAN!!!!
Yahoo!~!!!

[Teresa Olivieri]

11:34 PM on 05/04/2012

I love Governor Schweitzer. He's my idea of a real tough Democrat, no nonsense, and we need more like him!!

[Val Mercy]

09:17 PM on 05/04/2012

"This business of allowing corporations to bribe their way into government has got to stop."

Finally some sense!

[ScorpioTop]

07:21 PM on 05/04/2012

Citizens united equals legalized bribery

[dvdbrrtt62]

07:46 PM on 05/04/2012

The unions have already been doing that for quite some time now.

[ScorpioTop]

11:33 PM on 05/04/2012

The unions? The corporations have crushed them. Corporations spend $1 on bribery and get $5 in return. Sweet deal.

[rtgmath]

06:08 PM on 05/04/2012

Section 3. Policy. (1) It is policy of the state of Montana that each elected and appointed official in Montana, whether acting on a state or federal level, advance the philosophy that corporations are not human beings with constitutional rights and that each such elected and appointed official is charged to act to prohibit, whenever possible, corporations from making contributions to or expenditures on the campaigns of candidates or ballot issues. As part of this policy, each such elected and appointed official in Montana is charged to promote actions that accomplish a level playing field in election spending.

(2) When carrying out the policy under subsection (1), Montana’s elected and appointed officials are generally directed as follows:

(a) that the people of Montana regard money as property, not speech;

(b) that the people of Montana regard the rights under the United States Constitution as rights of human beings, not rights of corporations;

(c) that the people of Montana regard the immense aggregation of wealth that is accumulated by corporations using advantages provided by the government to be corrosive and distorting when used to advance the political interests of corporations;

(d) that the people of Montana intend that there should be a level playing field in campaign spending that allows all individuals, regardless of wealth, to express their views to one another and their government; and

[rtgmath]

06:10 PM on 05/04/2012

(e) that the people of Montana intend that a level playing field in campaign spending includes limits on overall campaign expenditures and limits on large contributions to or expenditures for the benefit of any campaign by any source, including corporations, individuals, or political committees.

Section 4. Promotion of policy by elected or appointed officials.

(1) Montana’s congressional delegation is charged with proposing a joint resolution offering an amendment to the United States constitution that accomplishes the following:

(a) overturns the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission;

(b) establishes that corporations are not human beings with constitutional rights;

(c) establishes that campaign contributions or expenditures by corporations, whether to candidates or ballot issues, may be prohibited by a political body at any level of government; and

(d) accomplishes the goals of Montanans in achieving a level playing field in election spending.

(2) Montana’s congressional delegation is charged to work diligently to bring such a joint resolution to a vote and passage, including use of discharge petitions, cloture, and every other procedural method to secure a vote and passage.

(3) The members of the Montana legislature, if given the opportunity, are charged with ratifying any amendment to the United States constitution that is consistent with the policy of the state of Montana.

[7dr361]

05:34 PM on 05/04/2012

This is the dumbest supreme court in my 13 presidents..............

[barrada nicto]

09:13 PM on 05/07/2012

Well paid and corrupt, too.

[7dr361]

05:29 PM on 05/04/2012

Way to go Schweitzer, Montana Gov, just on Chris Matthews hardball.................

[Woogie DeCat]

03:49 PM on 05/04/2012

Want $$$$ out of politics, it is easy. Allow for each party to pick there candidates during a 4 month window at the beginning of the election year. They can spend as much as they want. No corporation or union can spend a dime for any sort of advertising nor contribute funds to any campaign. Individuals could donate up to $1000 to the candidate of their choice during the primary season. Candidates are allowed to donate up to $1000 to their own campaign during the primary season. No one can contribute more than $1000 during the primary campaign season.

The general election season begins on Labor Day - no political advertising of any kind allowed for the general until Labor Day . No union or corporations are allowed to contribute any funds to any candidate or political party. No corporation or union is allowed to spend a dime on political advertising of any kind. Candidates and individuals can contribute up to $1000 during the general election season to any candidate or party. No can spend more than $1000 in contributions total during the general election.

[Jen Celli]

02:17 PM on 05/04/2012

If there weren't so many entrenched politicians beholding to corporations for campaign contributions at the national level, there would be some hope that this kind of regulation would sweep the states. The reality is, corporations will supply Super PAC money to defeat or distort the intentions of these legislative attempts and it will only become a tool for a politician to point to and say, furtively, "We'' I did try". But get it on Montana... maybe we can get something to hope for.

[dvdbrrtt62]

07:47 PM on 05/04/2012

So the entrenched politicians beholding to the unions are okay?

[barrada nicto]

10:17 PM on 05/07/2012

The unions, what's left of them, represent the middle class -- what's left of it.

Unions, good.

Corporations, bad.

Get it?

[Skull splittrz good beer]

01:57 PM on 05/04/2012

"...Montana. It even SOUNDS rugged." -Hank Hill

Thumbs up big sky country!