“Citizens United v. FEC is one of the most destructive Supreme Court decisions in the history of this country”
Photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog
In August of last year Dean of the House Congressman John Dingell introduced the Restoring Confidence in our Democracy Act. This legislation sought to undo the democracy-crushing impact of the now-infamous Citizens United Supreme Court decision that has allowed huge sums of money to be spent by wealthy individuals and corporations to pervert our elections and subvert our democracy.
Congressman Dingell will be reintroducing this bill during the current legislative session and tomorrow at 6 p.m. in Ann Arbor he will hold a public forum and panel discussion to discuss it.
Congressman JOHN D. DINGELL presents
a Public Forum on
Restoring Confidence in Our Democracy:
A Discussion on Money in Politics
And
“Citizens United”Speaker:
Congressman John D. Dingell (12th District, Michigan)Panel:
Rich Robinson, Executive Director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network
Melanie McElroy, Executive Director of Common Cause Michigan
Ellen D. Katz, Professor, University of Michigan Law SchoolWhen/Where:
Wednesday, April 3 – 6:00 pm
Annenberg Auditorium
Weill Hall, Room 1120
Ford School of Public Policy
735 S. State Street, Ann ArborIn the last session of Congress Rep. Dingell introduced the “Restoring Confidence in Our Democracy Act”, a bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971″ to reassert the authority of Congress to restrict spending by corporations and labor organizations on campaigns for elections for Federal office.”
Co-sponsors included Representatives John Conyers, Chris Van Hollen, Keith Ellison, Donna Edwards, and Barney Frank. It was also endorsed by Common Cause and the United Auto Workers union. This legislation will be re-introduced into the current session of Congress.
Congressman Dingell and the panel members will address the issues of Citizens United and this legislation at this public forum.
This event also co-sponsored by:
~ UP TO US: Protecting Elections from Big Money*
~ The Washtenaw County Democratic Party* UP TO US is a working group, based in Washtenaw County, seeking to reverse the Citizens United decision and to build a new Democracy Movement. Contact us by mail at: UP TO US, 4007 Carpenter Road, #103, Ypsilanti, MI. 48197.
You can download a flyer for the event HERE (pdf).
Here is Congressman Dingell introducing his legislation last summer:
Citizens United v. FEC is one of the most destructive Supreme Court decisions in the history of this country.It unleashed the floodgates for unlimited expenditures on elections; ignored factual records; disregarded congressional intent; and opened up the floodgates of crime, misbehavior, and scandal. In addition to that, people are going to be spending money without knowing who is having it spent, why, or for how much or by whom.
That is why, today, I, along with a number of my colleagues, will be introducing the Restoring Confidence in Our Democracy Act. This legislation makes findings of fact about the negative effects of unlimited spending which the Court cannot ignore. It reinstates the law that was in place on the day before Citizens United was adopted by the Court. It prohibits corporate spending in elections, and it subjects super PACs to $5,000 contribution limits.
Don’t wait for a constitutional amendment to undo Citizens United. Support the Restoring Confidence in Our Democracy Act, and let us do it by an enactment of Congress preceded by the necessary findings pointing out the evils of this scandal. We will be back in less than 30 days, and we are going to find out after the primary elections and after the general election what an outrage this is.
Join us tomorrow night for this excellent event and find out how YOU can get involved. Getting money out of our elections would do more to solve the problems we face in our country right than any other single thing.
