Summary
House Democrats, led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, introduced the We the People Amendment to overturn Citizens United, aiming to curb corporate influence in elections.
The constitutional amendment asserts that constitutional rights apply only to individuals, not corporations, and mandates full disclosure of political contributions.
Jayapal cited Elon Musk’s massive campaign spending and subsequent financial gains as proof of the ruling’s harm.
Advocacy groups praised the move, calling it necessary to combat corporate power and dark money in politics, but Republicans have not backed the proposal.
Nice idea, but you’re a decade late and billions of dollars short.
OTOH, it has always been important to keep introducing bills showing what you stand for even when they have no chance of passing, which (theoretically) builds public support over time (by getting press coverage and talking about it in interviews and on the campaign trail). For example Repubs have introduced bills to kill all or parts of the ACA over 50 times since it was passed, and they do that with lots of other issues–they just push and push and push their agenda regardless of whether it can pass.
But Dems don’t. It’s hard to take this effort by Dems seriously when the first time they’ve attempted to do this is only after the effects of the Citizens United ruling have come to full fruition. I know the only time they’ve had the majority again since the ACA was passed was the first half of Biden’s term and they did get some good things done during that time. But the idea is to relentlessly try to do what you’re sent there by your voters to do. So I guess it’s a … start?
Dipshits: Dems are just as bad! They don’t want to change the system!
Dems: *prove again they want to change the system*
Dipshits: Oh yeah? Well . . . why didn’t they do it already then?!?!
Genuinely, why didn’t they? Why didnt they do it when they had both the house and Senate? Are you somehow deluded into thinking this will actually go anywhere with the Republicans holding as much power as they currently are? This is just virtue signaling.
Have you heard of the filibuster or the fact that it’s been used by default on almost every piece of legislation for decades?
Democrats could have changed the senate rules and killed the filibuster for good.
Stop using the filibuster as an excuse.
See, this is actually a good point.
When did they have the house and the senate? Literally - how many Congressional working days did they have a majority in the House and Senate?
Did you say Zero days? Because that’s the right answer. https://ballotpedia.org/Election_results,_2020:_Control_of_the_U.S._Senate
Your link contradicts your point. A 50/50 split with a Democrat tie breaker is a Democrat majority.
Citizen United was decided January 21, 2010. Democrats controlled both House and Senate 2009-2010 and 2021-2022.
A constitutional ammendment takes 2/3s of both chambers and 3/4 of the states. It also takes years. How’ the hell were they going to do that in those brief windows with slim majorities?
How the hell are they going to do it now?
Finally, someone in this thread remembers high school gov class.
It scares me how many people here don’t know the absolute basics of how the government works.
The house and Senate were literally both controlled by the Dems when Citizens United became a law lmfao
Citizens United became law?
Really? When was that? What was the bill number? Who sponsored Citizens United law?
lmfao what a joke
Law, policy, a lifting of prohibitions, call it whatever you want dude, you haven’t proved your point, you’re just being pedantic.
Jesus christ, why not comment on sports where your feelings about something are the whole of the matter.
Call it what you want? FFS.
Lol devolving into insults instead of making any kind of worthwhile point huh? I could call it a judgement or decision if that makes your panties untwist.
Point is, Dems had the house and Senate when it went into effect. They’ve had many opportunities over the years to do something about it, even if that something is just akin to what they are doing now. But it took a billionaire shadow president for them to even make noise about it. It’s just virtue signaling.
2/3rds of both houses and 38 states to ratify. Don’t remember that being the case. Rofl, lol, jajaja
Where was this a decade ago?
Because there’s no chance in hell that this will pass under a Republican majority.
Get them on the fucking record. Keep introducing it and have it dominate news cycles. The biggest sense of optimistism I had during the Harris campaign was her specifically calling for a reform of corporate personhood.
Jfc. They and both houses of Congress multiple times since Citizens United and didn’t do shit. Bringing it up now, when it won’t even get through Congress, let alone the states, is a fucking distraction
Even then they never had the support to pass this or any constitutional ammendment.
It would have been a great political move though. Make Republicans go on the record as wanting more money in politics. CU is horribly unpopular and they could go on the offense for once…if they wanted to.
They probably couldn’t pass it, but this is the precise sort of fight they could wage to excite their base…if they wanted to.
I’m pretty sure I remember them doing just that more than once. I agree it should be done but we shouldn’t pretend it’s just a box to check to keep the base awake. It’s quickly forgotten.
They’ve been in record for this since the 1980s, one vote in Congress doesn’t show anything that the actions of Republicans haven’t shown in the last 20 years.
Trump is just full mask off. Reagan had humor to deflect his issues. Trump is a drooling moron who does what Republicans always have wanted.
Politically this might be more effective play when Dems are the minority party. Not forgiving inaction though. I seriously believe this type of gamesmanship was why dems drag their feet on prosecuting trump for J6.
I can’t quite decide if this is just virtue signalling or not from the Democrats. I know some of them would genuinely support it, but this feels very much like it is too little, too late - if they were actually serious about saving democracy in the US, they could have done this when it actually stood a chance of being useful.
Criticism against CU isn’t new, Dems had every opportunity to propose this when they had control of the WH and Congress just 3 years ago. Only now are they making a scene of reeling back corporate influence because they know it’ll never pass
It was proposed almost immediately after CU but then, just as now, they never had the support to get it done.
Yep, bullshit useless lib posturing.
Do not waste time talking about a non-starter.
You need 290 votes in the House, you have (at most) 215. You need 75 Republicans to flip.
If, miracle of miracle, that happens, it goes to the Senate where you need 60 votes to end a filibuster, you have (at best) 47. You need 13 Republicans breaking rank to end cloture + 7 more to pass it.
Then it goes to the states for ratification, you need 38. In 2024 19 states went to Harris which means you need all of them +19 Trump states.
Yeahhh…
this might actually work if this goes through the states in the midterms, might be a little bit too early for that to happen, but i guess we’ll have to see. I would entirely expect this to be 100% possible to get passed, it just needs support.
Check the comments, 75% of the people here don’t believe the simple fact that the Democrats have not had a supermajority to pass such an amendment since 1979, 30 years before the infamous Citizens United win at the Supreme Court became the current interpretation of law.
They don’t know that the legislation discussed in this post has been brought to vote multiple times by Democrats over the years under different names, and that this is just the latest instance.
They just want to complain that Democrats ‘don’t do anything good when they have power, and wont even try when they know they cant win’ - handwaving away reality.
They just want to complain that Democrats ‘don’t do anything good when they have power, and wont even try when they know they cant win’ - handwaving away reality.
it’s literally the meme of
lemmy: “you’re not doing anything”
GOV: “i am literally doing everything”
lemmy: “you’re not doing good enough”
GOV: “i’m literally the best in my field trying the best i can with good results”
lemmy: “well it’s still not good enough”
GOV: “find me a better solution then.”
So this will pass and we’re all wrong?
The thing is, at the very least this forces the Republicans (and for that matter Democrats) to pick a side on the issue.
Citizens United is extremely unpopular with the Republican base, as it is with the Democrat base. If a Republican voter sees that their Congress person voted to maintain citizens United, they might be upset.
The GOP will just lie and blame everything on “radical leftists”. Which don’t really exist in the US.
Some will. But if 1% of the right see this and either become demotivated or change sides, that is enough to swing entire elections.
The biggest issue is that Dems get rich from this shit too. Even if they had a massive majority it wouldn’t pass.
Ron Paul used to introduce doomed bills like this all the time. It’s not expected to pass. It’s to reveal the owners of other legislators.
Even some Democrats will vote against this bill. Every one of those legislators work for the corporations - not for us - and need to be replaced.
Which, ultimately, does nothing as voters have the memory of a goldfish.
We do, but that still does something. I only look up their voting records once I’ve got the sample ballot in my hands.
Both
Sides.
Losing a finger and losing a hand are different things.
Not making excuses for dems but I am sick of this fucking empty headed fucking bill Maher horseshit.
Just in time!
A little too little, a little too late. They did jack shit when they had power.
This is one of the single biggest changes we can make to our current electoral system.
Should’ve done this in 2021. This could’ve changed the 2024 election entirely.
There was less than a 0٪ chance that they could have passed a constitutional ammendment in 2021.
Love your downvotes. “Nuh uh!! They just didn’t want to!”
They didn’t try. So yes. They didn’t want to.
When you don’t do something, you don’t wanna do the task. When I delay doing the dishes, I’m not wanting to do them despite how much it’s useful for the home.
If they didn’t push for this in 2021, they didn’t want it.
I guess we’ll never know because they didn’t even try.
But I’m sure they’ll have a chance now that they’re making a good faith effort! lol.
Biden could have arrested Trump on January 21st, and that would have been that
How do I upvote this harder?
What did they do in 2021 instead?
Probably nothing else going on really. They’re just lazy and fat off corporate cash piles, obviously.
Nothing. That’s the problem. Democrats are so afraid to play an opposition party cause it will negatively affect party leadership and top donors. They want the status quo and are more than likely benefiting from the Trump regime in many ways.
Make no bones about it: top Democrats have been complacent with a hostile takeover of the US government because it is benefiting them.
Progressive Democrats and party newcomers are seeing this reality. They tried to play the game for a bit but got burned like Bernie did. Some democrats are finally growing a backbone to stand up against geriatric party leadership.
Democrats make an opposition move
This is because Dems won’t make an opposition move
Make no bones about it: top Democrats have been complacent with a hostile takeover of the US government because it is benefiting them.
I mean, I’d make a few bones about it. The best time to be an excellent Progressive party is 50 years ago. The next best time is now, though.
I’m surprised how quickly people forgot the very first bill the Democrats introduced in 2021 addressed this very topic. The Republicans in the senate killed it.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1
Passed House (03/03/2021) For the People Act of 2021
"This bill addresses voter access, election integrity and security, campaign finance, and ethics for the three branches of government.
Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits removing voters from voter rolls.
The bill requires states to establish independent redistricting commissions to carry out congressional redistricting.
Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing intelligence information with state election officials, supporting states in securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect U.S. democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems.
Further, the bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices.
The bill addresses ethics in all three branches of government, including by requiring a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices, prohibiting Members of the House from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, and establishing additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White House.
The bill requires the President, the Vice President, and certain candidates for those offices to disclose 10 years of tax returns."
I’d argue rank choice is more important.
If you give people actual elections, it shouldn’t matter how much money is spent on campaigns
All someone needs is $1,000 for a good website. Lower the barrier to let them on the ballot and let people rank them, and you’ll solve the problem.
I would love ranked choice. It completely flopped on the state ballot in Colorado this past election because both parties are completely against it
We have it in nyc, but it tyrna out a lot of people found it confusing and just rankes their first choice anyways.
The fact that both parties have been so active in opposing ranked choice voting is proof that it would break their monopolies on power.
It should have been done immediately, when the ruling came down in 2010, when the Democrats had a majority in the House and Senate, and Obama was the President.
I was one year away from graduating college at the time, getting simultaneous bachelor’s degrees in Econ and Poli Sci, trying to explain to people how bad the situation was, and how this may be our only shot at fixing it.
But uh, nope, Obama had already won, the Dems had already swept the House and Senate to near, but not quite super majorities, and most Dem voters were too busy gloating over these victories and pretending that they meant Republicans would never have power over the Federal government again, and actually? you’re an asshole for implying Obama and the Dems aren’t perfect, in fact you sound racist, get away from me.
Instead, that was indeed the highwater mark for Dem control in the Federal government (in the last 20 years), and they squandered it, then lost some House and Senate seats, then doomed us all by ratfucking Bernie to run the perfect encapsulation of their sanctimonious and haughty elitism, Hillary, who lost to a rapist, racist, fraudlent fascist.
cue curb your enthusiasm theme
Now they ask for this? After having zero majority in either house? Acter letting a nazi waltz into the white house?
The Democrats have a long history of waiting until Republicans hold a majority in both houses to propose milquetoast change.
Keeps their name in the papers without actually having to do anything.
The Democrats have a long history of waiting until Republicans hold a majority in both houses to propose milquetoast change.
Every time. Legalizing weed? Only when Republicans control. Making abortion federally protected? Only Republican control. Raising the minimum wage? Only when Republicans control.
When they are in office? Never one of those, but pushing for bills that get everyone in congress paid more by their handlers called lobbyists.
Citizens United has been fucked since jump
It is with a sense of similar urgency that I am proposing an amendment to make every Thursday a national holiday.
Like the Democrats, I also do not have any power to enact this, let alone enforce it, but the important part is that I proposed something impossible instead of actually doing literally anything to stop this.
Yup more useless posturing.
Well shit . what’s your act blue link?
Do this and keep doing it until it works. This isn’t a moonshot. It’s normal, sensible change. Everybody shut your fucking mouths with all this secondary “it isn’t going to work now” bitch energy. Get behind the shit you want, loudly.
Wouldn’t it be nice if they did shit like this when they were actually in power?
It would fail the vote either way, as a constitutional amendment requires a supermajority vote - and there has not been a supermajority in the Senate since 1979. Which was the last time the Democrats successfully put through an amendment, before anyone further complains they do nothing with power when they get it.
Depending on how jaded you are this is either a stunt, or the particular (left-leaning?) Democrats involved in tabling the legislation are trying to raise the issue their constituents have asked them to. Either way it’ll force the Republicans to show their hand and all vote against it.
Yeah it would have forced the republicans to show their hamd back when democrats did control most of the government too Maybe a bit more trying things that would ‘force the republicans to show their hand’ would have been useful when something actually could have been done about it. Everyone knows the republicans fucking hand now.
Everyone knew the Republicans ‘hands’ back before the federal election too - they haven’t suddenly switched their platform or policies. Nothing has changed. You make it sound like there was vaguery in the leadup?
Just a whole lotta rubes who voted for Republicans after listening to people like Joe Rogan and Elon Musk are finally having the penny drop that they’ve been conned.
Gosh, if only someone had told them once or twice in the last decade that Donald Trump is a multiple-convicted world famous conman and fraud. Damn Democrats!
So why do this now? Doing it back when they had power would have been a lot more meaningful. Or actually doing literally anything to improve peoples lives. But doing it now is just an entirely empty gesture to try to win back peoples support that they dont deserve in any way.
Obama had a supermajority in 2008.
No, he did not. But it is a common Republican talking point.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/debunking-the-myth-obamas_b_1929869
Way too little, way too late.
