Hillary Clinton, already
on record saying she supports constitutional amendment overturning
Citizens United and she'll use it as a litmus test for a Supreme Court nominee, just released a
broad campaign finance reform plan she would follow as president.
In a statement released by the campaign, she says: "Our democracy should be about expanding the franchise, not charging an entrance fee. It starts with overturning the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, and continues with structural reform to our campaign finance system so there's real sunshine and increased participation." Some of those structural reforms are included in her plan.
Clinton’s proposals include a handful of actions she could influence immediately if she won the White House. She promised to issue an executive order requiring all government contractors to disclose their campaign contributions, including to outside groups that currently do not disclose donors. She said she also would advocate for the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue a rule requiring all publicly traded companies to disclose their political spending, including undisclosed outside spending, to their shareholders.
Proposals requiring congressional approval include support for enacting a small donor matching system of public financing for presidential and congressional elections along the lines of legislation sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and David Price (D-N.C.). Clinton would also press for the passage of disclosure legislation in Congress that would require nonprofits spending money on elections to reveal their donors.
These are some of the proposals that campaign finance reform advocates have been calling for, and her plan was well-received with David Donnelly, president and CEO of the campaign finance reform group Every Voice, saying that it "is both good policy and good politics." Given public cynicism toward politics and politicians, it should be good politics. Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders together have the opportunity to
make this issue central to the 2016 election. That is if the traditional media can take a break from manufacturing email scandals and Donald Trump antics to report on actual policy stuff.