In a year when the Koch brothers alone have promised to spend nearly $900 million to buy a government and Super PACs own just about every single Republican candidate for president, Bernie Sanders wants to make campaign finance central to the campaign. In a Thursday floor speech, he
outlined legislation he plans to introduce after the August break to create a public financing system.
“We are talking about a rapid movement in this country toward oligarchy, toward a government owned and controlled by a handful of extremely wealthy families,” Sanders said. ...
Just one family, the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, plan to invest some of their fossil-fuel fortune and, along with other wealthy donors, bankroll a $900 million political operation this election cycle. That’s more than either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party will each spend on the 2016 campaigns, Sanders noted.
“I will be introducing legislation which calls for public funding of elections, which will enable any candidate, regardless of his or her political views, to run for office without being beholden to powerful special interests,” Sanders said.
Of course Sanders's legislation won't get a hearing in the Republican-controlled Senate, much less make it to the floor, but he can help keep a focus on the damage being done to our government and society. Hillary Clinton has said that she'll make
Citizens United an issue in her campaign as well. Together, they could tag team on beating up Republicans as a wholly owned subsidiary of Koch Industries (and the Trump Organization!), and force this issue to the forefront.