It has been a month since the election, an election that saw money as the only constant, where the opposition for the presidential seat was shocked and awed that they didn’t win because they had more money spent and more Super PAC donors, an election where we thought that democracy was unscathed, was instead brutally tortured and gutted by credit cards, dollar bills and Carl Rove...again. One who is looking from the outside in would observe it as a lavish auction with the repetitive campaign ads acting as the auctioneer.
Citizens United which was ruled by the Supreme Court two years ago that grants corporations constitutional rights, showed its truest form and it was so quickly shut down in the election in two ways: 1. Rich and powerful owners of corporation such as the Koch Brothers plan had failed, and that was to get Romney elected via the Citizens United ruling. 2. Across the country, in 150 cities there were initiatives on the ballot calling on their legislators to work on passing a constitutional amendment to overturn the decision by the Supreme Court. In those 150 cities they voted to put an end to corporate constitutional rights.
It was a unanimous 'no' by the people to not let Citizens United continue. The initiatives that were passed in those communities had a serious backbone behind it. Organizations such as Move to Amend worked diligently to get the initiative placed on the ballot. Of course there are many other organizations that have the same interest at heart, like United Republic and Wolf PAC and numerous organizations at the local level.
I personally am a regular watcher on the Young Turks on the Current Channel. I heard Cenk Uygur on the program talk often about the group Wolf PAC, with the election fast approaching I just had to research the organization.
The project captured me and I contacted a few of the organizers to get more information. They then told me the plan of contacting local legislators and asking them their opinion of Citizens United and Corporate Personhood and if they would support a Constitutional Amendment to fix the imbalance.
There is an interactive map on the website that allows you to click on any state and it will view the feedback from legislators in that state. When I clicked on my home state of Washington, nothing appeared, there wasn’t feedback from any of the legislators.
I began contacting some of the legislators in my state via email and mail, at first I started with my own district, and then branched out to other districts. This was all still during the election and I wasn’t sure if there would be any replies at all since they were still campaigning, but some of them contacted within a day and some took a little longer and some even called me to have a conversation, and state their stance. Here are some of the replies I have received within the past month:
Sherry Appleton (D-23rd District) “Yes, I think money in politics is a problem. I would prefer the Supreme Court to reconsider their decision; reconsideration is my primary choice.”
Bob Hasegawa (D-11th District) I had a phone conversation with Representative Hasegawa. He is %100 opposed to Citizens United and is working on a plan for the next legislative session and believes that resolutions being passed in other states are groundwork to a constitutional amendment.
Tina Orwall (D-33rd District) “I signed a letter asking Congress to overturn the Citizens United ruling. I also co-sponsored legislation at the state level, HJM 4005 (2011-12) that would request Congress to amend the United States Constitution that provides corporations are not persons under the laws of the United States or any of its jurisdictional subdivisions.”
Mary Lou Dickerson (D-36th District) In a phone conversation she said she does believe that money is a huge problem in our political system and is in favor of a constitutional amendment although it will take a long time and hard work. She also works with an organization called Responsible Choices which is a non-partisan group that educates voters about who is funding initiatives and the impact ballot measures can have on the state.
There are other replies from legislatures that members have collected in Washington
Wolf PAC is growing and so are other organizations with the same message: To not let money be speech, fair elections, and to fix the imbalance between corporations and the people that has plagued our nation more so in recent years.
Even in the most conservative areas such as Montana and Pueblo County, Colorado they have voted not to recognize corporations as people in overwhelming fashion, however not one Republican has replied to me but there have been replies by Republicans in other states.
Constitutional Amendment or not, the sentiment is there and voters have already spoke up against Corporate Personhood in the elections. It is an effort by the people on both sides of the spectrum and they are tired of money dictating elections and democracy. With organizations like Wolf PAC and many others that connect people with the same goal, it will enable democracy to push back, because it is not for sale.
http://www.wolf-pac.com/
http://www.wolf-pac.com/...
https://movetoamend.org/...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...