Republicans Filibuster Constitutional Fix To Overturn Citizens United

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Source: TPM



Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a vote on a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and other Supreme Court rulings dating back to 1976 that invalidated restrictions on money in politics.

The party line vote was 54 in favor, 42 against, falling short of the 60 votes needed to defeat a filibuster and proceed to a final vote.

The Senate broke an initial filibuster on the measure on Monday. But many Republicans who voted to begin debate did not support the proposal and intended to ultimately block it. The procedural motion on Thursday means the Senate won't move to an up-or-down vote, where it was even likelier to fail because it needed a two-thirds majority to advance.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a fierce opponent of campaign finance restrictions, blasted Democrats for bringing up the measure.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/senate-republicans-filibuster-constitutional-amendment-citizens-united?utm_content=buffer56a9f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

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Note that supposed "maverick" and one-time campaign finance reform advocate John McCain was a part of that party line Republican vote to keep legalized bribery intact.

What a bitter old sell-out grandpa has turned out to be.

[Half-Century Man]

1. No Shit.

As surprising as a dawn in the east.

[Trillo]

2. Republicans earned their corporate and wealthy donation pay today.

It's pretty good timing for the upcoming election, this should be kept front and center.

[markmyword]

20. TELL IT LIKE IT IS!

Democrats are SPINELESS, but they SHOULD be running ads that hammer home just WHO the REPUBLICANS work for, and WHAT they stand for!

REPEAT and REPEAT it OVER and OVER until it sinks in to the voters, just what these REPUBLICANS want for the American people.

NO EXTENSION of UNEMPLOYMENT!
NO OBAMA CARE!
NO UNIONS
NO ABORTIONS
NO VOTING RIGHTS
SHUTTING DOWN the government.
CONTINUOUS WARS (but their kids won't go)
NO HELP for the MIDDLE CLASS
NO GUN CONTROL
UNDER FUNDING EPA!
DONT. BELIEVE IN CLIMATE CHANGE
NO SOCIAL SECURITY
NOT RAISING the MINIMUM WAGE!
AGAINST rebuilding our infrastructure!

THEY BELIEVE in helping WALL STREET MILLIONAIRES and BILLIONAIRE!
REDUCING the 1% TAXES!
PROTECTING the BIG BANKS
WORKING for the KOCH brothers
VOWED TO BLOCK OBAMA ( which means DESTROYING our country for political purposes)
WANT UNLIMITED money in our Political elections( CITIZENS UNITED)

REPEAT it, REPEAT it, OVER and OVER, so EVEN those REPUBLICANS in the RED states understand what the REPUBLICANS are doing to them!

[Pinkflamingo]

3. And so it continues.....

Government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich.

[Fred Sanders]

4. The first procedural vote was passed because Republicans wanted to waste limited Senate

Debate and floor time so Democrats would not be able to bring up bills for debate and vote like minimum wage, equal pay, climate legislation....they are playing games in a transparent effort to make folks despair of voting, smearing all of good governance with their lies and hate and fear .....that is the real agenda, just an extension of voter suppression, their only long term hope.

How these frauds sleep at night is what puzzles me...pharmaceuticals?

[Viva_Daddy]

5. The GOP has now lost its change to win the Senate

Polls consistently show that 80% of Americans (red and blue) want Citizens United overturned. So let's use this filibuster to rally voters to vote blue this November. We can also use it to turn the House blue. LET'S DO THIS!

[tosh]

7. Yes, LETS DO THIS!

[lastlib]

10. LET'S DO IT....!!!

"RepublikKkans Protect The One-Percent"......"in other news, a bear shat in the woods. Film @eleven."

So now we have proof on the record of who the repugs work for. And it ain't you & me. God, if we don't have ads up tomorrow screaming this from the rooftops, we are far too stoopid to win elections! Let's get this baby rollin'!!

[DocMac]

6. WoW!!

Is America ready to hear or see this? You betcha!

[Uncle Joe]

8. This should be hammered home relentlessly before the November elections.

Thanks for the thread, Adenoid_Hynkel.

[SoapBox]

16. ^^^This!^**

But Dems would need to find a spine to do such...sigh.

[blkmusclmachine]

17. DEMS never hold the GOP accountable for anything, because that would be "partisan."

MUST.
LOOK.
FORWARD.

[Uncle Joe]

18. This could turn the tide against McConnell et al. n/t

[Fearless]

9. Fans of Citizens United claims it creates a level playing field by which all can contribute

In fact the OPPOSITE occurs. With limits on campaign contributions, everyone STILL can contribute. The difference is that a vast majority of people can contribute EQUALLY by reversing Citizens United. They don't want that. They want to keep the tables stacked against the average person who CANNOT spend money they DON'T have.

Citizens United is UNCONSTITUTIONAL because it is impossible for the average person to contribute in the way that the wealthiest can. If you don't have a million dollars to spend on a campaign, you don't have a voice in this day in age.

That's the truth they don't want you to hear!

[Cha]

11. ACLU should be happy about this even though it sucks.

[AzDar]

12. Villians. Almost cartoonish at this point...

[George II]

13. NUCLEAR OPTION!!! Or so they understand it better....NUCULAR OPTION!

[Jim Lane]

21. That doesn't help with a Constitutional amendment

If the Democrats go nuclear (or even nucular) and break a filibuster by simple majority vote, they still need 67 votes to pass the thing.

[George II]

24. True, but they're hiding behind the filibuster to keep it from being debated and voted upon...

...by merely filibustering, they don't have to express their opinions. If it goes to the floor and they have to debate and vote, many of those republicans that are filibustering will have to expose their real motives to their constituencies, or at least those in their states that care.

[SoapBox]

14. So CORRUPT!

Pukes and Baggers...rotten to their very core!

[Major Hogwash]

15. McCain looks like Mussolini in that picture.

By jutting his jaw out like that.

[murielm99]

22. They both look like reptiles to me. n/t

[KJG52]

19. So What...

This was the inevitable result of the last vote, a vote that was trumpeted as a "breakthrough," on Tuesday on this very site... The process of passing a Constitutional Amendment is a difficult process requiring 2/3's votes in both the Senate and the House, then submission for ratification to all 50 state legislatures with 3/4's of them being needed to ratify. This is not going to happen with a divided congress and definitely not going to happen with Republicans benefiting tremendously more than the Democrats, until that equation changes this doesn't have a chance.

[davidpdx]

23. Lundgren-Grimes needs to start hammering that bastard on his vote

He is now ON the record as opposing a constitutional amendment that limits campaign contributions (and I'm sure it's not the first time either).

Fuck the Republicans and fuck McConnell

[hughee99]

25. With or without this resolution, legalized bribery isn't going anywhere. n/t

[valerief]

26. The Filibuster is as immoral as The Patriot Act. nt

[KamaAina]

27. So they were for it before they were against it.