Lucas,
As you know, earlier this year the Supreme Court radically misinterpreted the First Amendment and gave corporations permission to spend as much money as they want trying to take over our elections. To overturn the court's reckless decision, we must pass a constitutional amendment that will preserve free speech rights for the living, breathing human beings they were intended to protect, not faceless multinational corporations.
Public Citizen, along with our friends at People For the American Way, is asking candidates around the country to demonstrate their support for an amendment by taking the "Pledge to Protect America's Democracy." You can sign on as a citizen co-sponsor, too! Here's the pledge:
The Supreme Court's flawed decision allowing corporations to spend unlimited amounts to influence election outcomes endangers our democracy and threatens to drown out the voices of individual citizens. I pledge to protect America from unlimited corporate spending in our elections by supporting a Constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision giving corporations the same First Amendment rights as people.
I'm passing along the note below from Representative Donna Edwards, an alum of Public Citizen, and a charismatic and inspiring leader for justice and democracy in the U.S. House of Representatives. She urges you to join the movement for a constitutional amendment to restore democracy by signing on as a citizen co-sponsor of the "Pledge to Protect America's Democracy."
After you sign, please forward this message to 5 friends.
If this election season shows us anything, it's that we have a lot of work to do!
Robert Weissman, President
Friends,
As an activist and an organizer, I was going head-to-head with big corporate interests well before I even thought of running for Congress. Always outspent and up against tremendous odds, we won a surprising number of those fights.
I'm writing today to let you know that activism pays off, and even though the task of protecting America's elections from the corrupting influence of unlimited corporate spending seems daunting, I am confident we can rise to the challenge.
That's why I've introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to take our democracy back for the people, after the Roberts Supreme Court offered it up to the highest corporate bidders with its 5-4 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. And that's also why I've taken the pledge to continue the fight for an amendment no matter how long it takes.
Please join me by signing the "Pledge to Protect America's Democracy" as a citizen co-sponsor.
Corporate interests are already spending record amounts to influence this year's elections, since the corporatist majority on the Supreme Court said that corporations have the same First Amendment rights as people. That's just wrong. And we can correct the court by making it explicit in the Constitution that lawmakers can pass much-needed campaign finance laws and limit the influence of corporations in American elections.
They have the money, but we have the numbers. Join the growing chorus of Americans who are fighting back against runaway corporate excess and corporations' ability to set our nation's agenda.
Start by helping to take back our democracy by signing the "Pledge to Protect America's Democracy."
Let's show those big corporate interests and the Supreme Court's corporatist majority just what kind of numbers we have.
I thank People For the American Way and Public Citizen for this campaign. And I thank you for standing with us and all the other organizations and activists fighting to make sure the voices of ordinary voters are not drowned out by the louder voices of well-funded corporate interests.
We can win. Keep fighting.
Sincerely,
Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD)