Why Hasn’t Obama Done Anything About Citizens United?

[GoLeft TV]

President Obama is the only person in the United States that has the power to single-handedly undo the U.S. Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United ruling that has allowed unlimited corporate money to influence our political system. But so far, almost 6 years after the decision, President Obama has refused to do anything about it.

Ring of Fire's Farron Cousins discusses this.

[RandySF]

1. Huh?

How does he undo a SCOTUS decision?

[still_one]

2. How about Congress

[Thinkingabout]

3. Like signing into the bill which Sanders sponsored in congress and Sanders was

Able to get the congressional members to vote in favor?

[truebluegreen]

6. squeak squeak squeak

[Thinkingabout]

7. The road to overturning CU is through Congress. squeak squeak squeak

[JDPriestly]

19. The point of the video is that the American people want to have

Citizens' United overturned. We want limits on corporate donations.

Obama could do two things.

He could ask Congress to pass the amendment to limit the campaign donations and participation of corporations.

He could require government contractors, at lest those that contract with the federal government, to reveal all of their political donations.

Those are two things that Obama could do if he wanted to.

Since he has not done them, we have to assume that overturning Citizens' United is not one of his priorities.

[Thinkingabout]

25. I would like to see this happen also. The post I responded to was what was Obama doing about CU.

Congress has to male the move.

[DhhD]

28. New Democrats want what Citizens United has to offer. So New Democrats, 'Approve this Message'.

[Historic NY]

9. If your talking about this bill its died in committee before it even got to the house.........

S.J.Res.4 - A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to restore the rights of the American people that were taken away by the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case and related decisions, to protect the integrity of our elections, and to limit the corrosive influence of money in our democratic process.



https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/4/cosponsors?pageSort=lastToFirst

[Thinkingabout]

26. Obama can not do anything until he is sent a bill to sign.

[randys1]

4. Wait WHAT? he could issue exec order and reverse SC decision? Since when?

That is what the person in the video says he can do.

[JDPriestly]

20. Obama could issue an order requiring government contractors

to reveal all of their donations to political candidates and other campaigns.

The suggestion is that Obama use the bully pulpit of the presidency to help push passage of a constitutional amendment overturning Citizens' United.

It is necessary to listen to the video in order to know what he is talking about.

[Gothmog]

5. You can not overturn a SCOTUS opinion with an executive order

The person on this video is an idiot

[merrily]

8. Mr. Cousins is wrong about this, period.

[JDPriestly]

21. Listen to the video. Cousins wants Obama to speak out and ask

Congress to pass a constitutional amendment on this subject.

Obama could also require government contractors to reveal all of their political donations. He should do this because the donations may be linked to corruption and bribery.

[Enthusiast]

24. PLUS ONE, a huge bunch!

[merrily]

30. ? I would not have posted he was wrong if I hadn't listened to the video.

Congress to pass a constitutional amendment on this subject.

He could. It would not get through Congress. And, if it got through Congress, it would not be ratified.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12776799

Obama could also require government contractors to reveal all of their political donations.

No, he can't. This is not a matter of the Executive doing with federal contractors what Congress will not pass into law for everyone.

The Supreme Court has said people have a Constitutional right to donate to PACs anonymously. Obama can't violate the Constitution via Executive Order.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. What??? A president can't overturn a Supreme Court decision

by executive order or any other way. The dumbass (Farron Cousins, whoever the hell he is?) who said he could, is just dead wrong and probably flunked ninth-grade civics. Obama once taught constitutional law so he knew better than to even try. Don't believe everything you hear, even from sources you agree with.

[doc03]

11. I don't think the president can overturn a

SCOTUS decision. Obama is in some part responsible for CU by refusing to adhere to campaign finance guidelines in 2008.

[Midnight Writer]

18. Damn right! I knew this was Obama's fault.

If he would have just adhered to campaign finance guidelines in 2008, then we would never have had this disastrous Supreme Court decision declaring corporations to be "people" with all of the Constitutional protections of individual citizens.

[pnwmom]

12. Who is Farron Cousins, besides an idiot who thinks a President can overrule SCOTUS?

[JDPriestly]

22. The video explains what he means.

Cousins thinks Obama should have made overturning Citizens United a priority and pushed Congress to do it.

I think Obama could require government contractors to reveal all of their political expenditures including free tickets to events for members of Congress and trips to the Bahamas, etc. as well as outright money paid toward political ads, speaking fees and other political support for parties and candidates.

Farron Cousins is the executive editor of The Trial Lawyer magazine, and his writings have appeared in publications such as California's Information Press and Pensacola's Independent Weekly. He has also worked for the Ring of Fire radio program with hosts Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Mike Papantonio since August 2004, and is currently the producer of the program, in charge of guest booking, research, and scripting the week's show. Farron also runs Mike Papantonio's publishing company - Seville Publishing. Farron received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of West Florida in 2005 and became a member of American MENSA in 2009. . . . .

http://www.alternet.org/authors/farron-cousins

[pnwmom]

23. He thinks the Republican congress would have cooperated?

[Gothmog]

27. He is not a member of the Bar

I am so glad that this idiot is not a lawyer

[yallerdawg]

13. Don't blame Obama. It's Hillary's fault!

[tritsofme]

14. Obama has no such power. The person behind the video is a moron.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

15. Wow.

What a woefully ignorant dope this Cousins is.

"He could remake the Supreme Court! Add some justices!"

Didn't bother to hear his reason why Obama hasn't done anything. I assume it's "arrgle bargllle he's not a liberal like me!"

I guess I know in the future to ignore videos from this guy.

[cstanleytech]

16. No, just play this video in the background any time watch the guys videos.

[lovemydog]

17. That dude needs some Schoolhouse Rocks

on how a bill becomes a law.

[larkrake]

29. why haven't the people done anything?

Obama's hands are tied by both other branches of gov.

[curtis3martin]

31. Do basic research before posting an elaborate video

The President CAN NOT overturn a Supreme Court decision with an executive order.

I mean, even if you never learned about the separation of powers back in high school, all you had to do was stop and think about it for a second: If the president actually had that power, don't you think that Ford, Regan, or one of the two Bushes would have used it to overturn the Roe v Wade decision that made abortion legal?

Lets do our best to further the cause without resorting to the same kind of over-the-top, fact-free fantasy rhetoric that the Tea Partiers employ.

[ColesCountyDem]

32. Faron Cousins doesn't understand jack sh*t about separation of powers, obviously.

Listening to such Constitutional ignorance makes my head hurt.