If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
As I type, thousands of working groups are spread throughout the country organizing toward the same goal: ending the corrupt culture that has consumed our government by getting money out of politics. It's time to Occupy Democracy.
Nothing less than the integrity of our democracy is at stake. That's why New York is leading a bipartisan coalition of twenty-two states and the District of Columbia in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold state restrictions on corporate campaign spending in the wake of Citizens United.
The Court now has an opportunity to undo some of the damage. It is considering a request to take up a case out of Montana that could clarify how much leeway the government has to regulate corrupting political money.
We have ventured so far from the vision of the founding fathers that if they were still alive, I'm certain those founders would start another revolution. I blame Citizens United.
Isn't it clear by now that flesh and blood humans have made a complete mess of things? We trust corporations with what we eat, watch, drive, and do online -- so why not complete the circle and give corporations our vote?
Companies should get out of the political spending game and focus on doing what they were created to do: make a profit for their shareholders.
One of the most famous quotes of the Vietnam War came after the battle of Ben Tre when a US military officer said, "It became necessary to destroy the town to save it." That's the situation Obama is in. In 2012 it may be necessary to destroy the political process in order to save it.
Congress alone cannot completely counteract the harmful effects of the new rules governing our elections. But in an election cycle where these rules threaten to undermine voter participation, Congress must act now to soften the blow.
Are super PAC negative ads more powerful than DVR? Much like superheroes, they sound harmless without their capes on, but Super PACs could use their vast riches to become the most powerful force in the 2012 election and conquer the universe.
Our democracy has been hijacked. The corporations and special interests pay our politicians to do their bidding instead of the people's. This legal bribery has to stop.
Unlike most advocates for economic justice or democracy who have separated the issues, the Occupiers got this right. We can't have an economy that works for the 99 percent until we put our democracy in the hands of the 99 percent.
There are some new gangs in our political neighborhoods called "super PACS" and they distorted the outcome in a number of states during the Republican presidential nomination campaign.
When the New York Leadership for Accountable Government committee meets, I will provide it with all my energy and experience to help bring to the state of New York what New York City has already adopted.
Before you write your big check to Idaho, Mr. Banker, please understand that you may be part of a ploy to stealthily violate donation limits and move funds secretly in the dark of night to the more contested states.
This year's election may be the last one where it is possible to win the American presidency while receiving fewer votes than your opponent.
