U.S. House Introduces Constitutional Amendment: Democracy for All Not Plutocracy for the .0001 Percent
July 15, 2014
U.S. House Introduces Constitutional Amendment: Democracy for All Not Plutocracy for the .0001 Percent
Statement of Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen
Note: Today U.S. Reps. Deutch (D-Fla.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Donna Edwards (D-Md.) introduced a companion bill to S.J. Res. 19, a constitutional amendment that aims to overturn Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and other U.S. Supreme Court campaign finance decisions. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the amendment this fall.
Our choice is clear: Democracy for all or the plutocracy of the .0001 percent. If our nation is to live up to its great promise, and address its great challenges, we must pass and ratify the 28th Amendment, which will give We the People – through Congress as well as state and local governments – the ability to regulate and limit campaign spending by Big Business and the super-rich.
Today’s introduction in the House of Representatives of the Democracy for All Amendment (H.J. Res. 119) – paralleling the amendment expected to be voted on by the full Senate in September (S.J. Res. 19) – marks the next phase in the march to winning a constitutional amendment to rescue our democracy.
The American people are disgusted and outraged by Big Money dominance of our elections and politics, with polls routinely showing 80 to 90 percent, or more, of the electorate expressing fury over super-rich and corporate control of our elections. With resolutions passed in 16 states and more than 550 cities and towns across the nation, with millions of petition signatures, with street demonstrations and more, We the People have made clear our demand for fundamental and far-reaching measures to ensure that our country restores rule by the people.
Now it is time for Congress to act. We may not win passage of the 28th Amendment this year, but the day is not far off when we will. Those who doubt the prospects for victory underestimate the intensity of public outrage and the catalyzing impact of next large-scale election scandal, whose time is not far away.
Many in Congress are hearing the demand from constituents and are eager to act. For their bold leadership on the amendment, Public Citizen especially thanks the original sponsors of the Democracy for All Amendment: U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch, Donna Edwards and Jim McGovern, as well as Rep. John Larson and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and their colleagues in the Senate, most notably Sen. Tom Udall.
###