Fred Wertheimer: Citizens United and the 2012 Election: A Disaster for Democracy
Citizens United and the 2012 Election: A Disaster for Democracy
Statement by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer
The Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case has proven to be a disaster for our political system and our democracy.
Five Justices of the Supreme Court bear responsibility for the corrupt campaign finance system that now faces the American people.
$1 billion in corrupting, unlimited contributions were spent in the federal elections that concluded last night.
As much as $400 million of the $1 billion spent in the 2012 federal elections came in the form of secret contributions laundered into the elections through nonprofit groups. Many of these self-defined “social welfare” organizations were not entitled to the tax-exempt status they improperly claimed in order to hide their donors.
Judging the impact of the Citizens United decision on the outcome of individual races in the 2012 election misses the much larger issues that are now in play.
Unlimited contributions and secret money in American politics have resulted in the past in scandal and the corruption of government decisions. This will happen again in the future. We face scandal and corruption in the coming years when Congress considers tax legislation and numerous other policy issues of great importance to citizens.
The American people certainly recognize the great dangers posed by the Citizens United decision.
According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll this year, “Nearly seven in 10 registered voters would like super PACs to be illegal.”
A Survey USA poll this year found that more than 75 percent of voters “view corporate election spending as an attempt to bribe politicians rather than as free speech protected by the First Amendment.”
It is important to keep in mind that last night’s election was only the beginning of the impact of the misguided Supreme Court decision on our political system.
The $1 billion in unlimited contributions injected into the 2012 elections will dramatically grow in future elections as the arms race for these corrupting funds takes off and major parties seek to maximize the raising of unlimited contributions to support their candidates.
The beneficiaries of this arms race will be the influence-seeking millionaires, billionaires, corporations and other special interests that provide these unlimited contributions.
The losers will be the American people and their interest in government decisions that are not corrupted by influence-money.
The campaign finance crisis in America will grow until steps are taken to address the problems.
Beginning in 2013, a national movement will relentlessly pursue efforts to repair the extraordinary damage done by the Citizens United decision. The efforts to fix our campaign finance system will continue for as long as it takes to restore the integrity of our democracy and the health of our representative system of government.
Battles to prevent the corruption of our federal officeholders and government decisions have been won in the past. They will be won again in the coming years.
