Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is holding back no punches, blasting the Supreme Court for its ruling in the McCutcheon v. FEC case.
“Freedom of speech, in my view, does not mean the freedom to buy the United States government,” Sanders said.
At question was a law preventing individuals from contributing more than $123,000 to individual candidates and party committees in any given election cycle. On Wednesday the Court struck down that law effectively striking down overall campaign contribution limits.
Sanders’ website reports that “The ruling gives wealthy donors like the billionaires Charles and David Koch more power to influence elections.”
Sanders asked: “What world are the five conservative Supreme Court justices living in? To equate the ability of billionaires to buy elections with ‘freedom of speech’ is totally absurd. The Supreme Court is paving the way toward an oligarchic form of society in which a handful of billionaires like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson will control our political process.”
According to his website: “Sanders has proposed a constitutional amendment to overturn that ruling and make clear preventing quid pro quo corruption is not the only reason we should regulate campaign finance.”
His amendment and a companion measure in the House by Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) would make it clear that the right to vote and the ability to make campaign contributions and expenditures belong only to real people.
To read the constitutional amendment, click here.
For a fact sheet on the amendment, click here.
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