Would you support an attempt to get the corrupting money out of politics?

Our Constitutional Amendment: Get Money Out of Politics

August 19, 2011

It’s time to get things done and finally get money out of politics. Our Washington insider Jimmy Williams is now preparing a Constitutional amendment to get big money from special interests out of our political system. We all know that they buy access and influence through campaign contributions, and benefit from the big payoffs (examples: Wall Street, health care, banking) and, of course, provide a lucrative revolving door to soften the blow when elected officials leave office.

Steps are already being taken by some big names. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz urged fellow CEO’s and campaign donors this week to boycott campaign contributions until the parties actually do something constructive to fight long term fiscal concerns and the jobs crisis. Former PA Gov. Ed Rendell has said he will support it as well:

There are so many legislators who have said to me, gosh, if I could vote in secret, I could vote for your proposal Governor because I know it’s the right thing to do. But I can’t do it. The other side will raise money on it and kill me. And that’s what’s so important — it is so important to get the influence of money out of politics. Because if you get the influence of money out of politics, we will get people who will actually vote their conscience. And I think that’s extraordinarily important. You’re right to say it’s not the lobbyists… but it is the money that perverts the entire process…. I would be interested in Jimmy’s drafting the amendment.

Jimmy is hard at work on our amendment, but we want to hear from you. What do you want to see in this amendment? What else do we do to get money out of politics? Send us a message via this form or email us at MadAsHell@DylanRatigan.com, and we’ll post the best ideas on Monday and Tuesday.

We have already gotten a huge response from all over the country about this amendment. Here’s what people have to say:

Robert Wilson: “Fostered by the influence of money at every level of government, compromise suffers. Nothing ever really gets done. Whether problems are social or economic or whether policies require regulation or deregulation, the job of governing our country should be entrusted to those who aren’t tempted by money. The current system is an insult to the Founding Fathers.”

Don: “I can’t believe it took this long for someone to propose a constitutional amendment to limit campaign spending. It took me about 1 micro second after the Supreme Court ruling which allowed unlimited contributions from large corporations to political campaigns to figure that out: if the court interprets the Constitution that way, we just have to change the Constitution. I’m really looking forward to seeing how far this goes.

Gordon: “The corporate manipulation of politics is actually counter to the “free market” concept where the market is free to determine which businesses provide real value to the consumers. A truly “free market” is based on transparency and free from the collusion of lobbying and back room deals.”

Kylee: “I hear many people say that we can’t accomplish things that sound insurmountable, but if we look back on Americas past, we have to say this just isn’t so…. What we have to remember is that freedom isn’t free and if we sit back long enough, sure enough someone will work to take it away from us, and once again we must fight. “

Karen Rose: “Imagine if 100 million people not only signed on to asking for a Constitutional Amendment, but also took a pledge vowing not to vote for ANY national candidate unless they voiced public support for this amendment. Corporations may be people in the eyes of the SCOTUS, but, as of yet, they still cannot vote, WE DO!”

Our Constitutional Amendment: Get Money Out of Politics | Dylan Ratigan