Ezra Klein: Citizen's United is part of the problem, but it's not part of the answer

[flpoljunkie]

(Go to http://fixcongressfirst.org to email your members of Congress to urge them to support the Fair Elections Now Act. Emphasis mine.)

Citizen's United is part of the problem, but it's not part of the answer

Some powerful Democratic senators are trying to do something about the Citizen's United decision. I think that's a mistake.

Democratic leaders in Congress unveiled proposals Thursday that would limit the impact of a Supreme Court decision allowing unfettered corporate spending on political campaigns.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) called for a ban on companies with more than 20 percent foreign ownership, government contractors and bank bailout recipients from participating in U.S. elections. They also want to require companies to inform shareholders about political spending, and to mandate that corporate chief executives appear in any political advertising funded by their companies.

It's not that these rules are bad. But they're primarily symbolic. Foreign companies aren't likely to buy American elections. The bailout will be over soon, so that element won't much matter. What you want to do isn't chip away at the edges of the Citizen's United decision, but use it as momentum to erect a whole new public funding structure. The energy and organizing that might go into the Schumer legislation could do a lot more good pushing the Fair Elections Now Act.

By Ezra Klein
February 12, 2010

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/02/citizens_united_is_part_of_the.html

[Demeter]

1. Now THERE'S an Optiminst

What whistling past the graveyard of Democracy! What willful blindness to reality! What a MSM running dog.

[flpoljunkie]

2. Our democracy is increasingly being sold to the highest bidder, and it ain't us.

If we speak up and demand change, they will listen. Otherwise, nothing will change.