Reid Remarks On Constitutional Amendment To Stop Koch Bros' efforts To Buy Our Democracy
Reid Remarks On Constitutional Amendment To Stop Koch Brothers’ Unlimited Campaign Spending To Buy Our Democracy
http://www.reid.senate.gov/press_releases/2014-05-15-reid-remarks-on-constitutional-amendment-to-stop-koch-brothers-unlimited-campaign-spending-to-buy-our-democracy#.U3VO0Mscymw
“The Kochs’ bid for a hostile takeover of the American democracy is calculated to make themselves even richer. Yet, the Kochs and their Republican followers in Congress continue to assert that these hundreds of millions of dollars are free speech.”
“There should not be a million-dollar entry fee for participating in our democracy.”
“I oppose the notion that a big bank account should give billionaires, corporations or special interest groups a greater place in government than American voters. That is why I support the constitutional amendment proposed by two Senate Democrats, Senators Tom Udall and Michael Bennet, that curbs unlimited campaign spending.”
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Washington, DC – Nevada Senator Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today on the need for a constitutional amendment to curb unlimited campaign spending and the Koch brothers’ financing of shadowy political organizations. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:
A memo from the Koch-funded political organization, Americans for Prosperity, found its way into the national press last week. The memo details Americans for Prosperity’s plan to spend at least $125 million ensuring the Koch brothers’ hand-picked candidates win elections this November. The memo was sent to a select group – the ultra-radical, mega-rich men and women who fund Americans for Prosperity. The memo was titled: “Confidential Investor Update.” How fitting a title for the Koch brothers’ hostile takeover of the American electoral system.
You see, for the billionaires and millionaires who are dumping unseemly sums of money into shadowy political organizations, their donation is an investment in an America rigged to benefit themselves at the expense of the middle class. The Kochs’ political expenditures are investments, much like any other that is listed in their financial portfolios. And they absolutely expect monetary returns on their investments. The Koch’s bid for a hostile takeover of the American democracy is calculated to make themselves even richer. Yet, the Kochs and their Republican followers in Congress continue to assert that these hundreds of millions of dollars are free speech.
For evidence of that, look no further than the Republican Leader, who has flat out said “In our society, spending is speech.” Let me pose the question to the Republican Leader: If this unprecedented spending is free speech, where does that leave your middle-class constituents? How could everyday, working American families afford to make their voices heard, if money equals free speech? Should voters mortgage their homes if they are worried about climate change? If they are concerned about their children’s education, should they max out their credit cards making political contributions? Is our involvement in government completely dependent on our financial resources? The answer, of course, is ‘no.’ There should not be a million-dollar entry fee for participating in our democracy.
As retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens noted before a Senate panel just two weeks ago, “money is not speech.” Justice Stevens went on to say that: “Speech is only one of the activities that are financed by campaign contributions and expenditures. Those financial activities should not receive the same constitutional protection as speech itself. After all, campaign funds were used to finance the Watergate burglaries – actions that clearly were not protected by the First Amendment.”
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