Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Dot --

Now more than ever, the American people are showing just how fed up they are with the explosion of big corporate influence over our politics.

And now more than ever, the Supreme Court is ignoring its own precedents to unleash a torrent of corporate and special interest money in our elections.

We must put the American people back in charge of our democracy.

If the Supreme Court refuses to allow Congress and individual states to regulate the role of money in our elections, we must amend the Constitution to change that -- and together, we are beginning the amendment process this month.

Passing a constitutional amendment is no easy feat -- we've only passed 27 in our entire history, and powerful corporate interests are lining up against us as we speak -- but we can do this by hitting the ground running with a 21st century campaign to restore our democracy. And it all starts with you.

Sign our petition at ReverseCitizensUnited.com to amend the Constitution so Congress and the states can enact common-sense campaign finance reforms.

Historically, Congress and state legislatures have established contribution limits, disclosure requirements, and other rules to limit the influence of special interests in elections and ensure that government works for the American people, not powerful corporations.

Then, in last year's controversial Citizens United vs. FEC decision, Republican appointees on the Supreme Court overturned prior precedent and struck down Congress' sensible regulations on corporate spending in political campaigns.

A key solution to address the root cause of this problem is to amend the Constitution to make it absolutely clear to the Supreme Court and the special interests that Congress and state governments have the power to limit the flow of corporate money into campaigns.

Sign our petition now -- and then forward this email to your friends! Our constitutional amendment will stop the growing corrosive influence of big business on our elections and on our government, but it won't pass unless citizens like you demand it.

These historic times call for extraordinary measures to ensure our government remains of the people, by the people, and for the people -- not just powerful interests with the deepest pockets.

But we know these big corporate interests aren't going to give up without a fight, so we need you -- and tens of thousands of other Americans -- to join us.

Thank you for standing with us to return our elections to the hands of everyday citizens, rather than the special interests.
Sincerely,
Dick Durbin
U.S. Senator
Jeff Merkley
U.S. Senator

Chuck Schumer
U.S. Senator
Tom Udall
U.S. Senator

Sheldon Whitehouse
U.S. Senator
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