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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 biggest issue is that Dems get rich from this shit too. Even if they had a massive majority it wouldn’t pass.
Instead of throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks, immediately get rid of the gerontocracy (Schumer, Pelosi), regroup, find a leader with some balls and declare open warfare on Republicans. It’s not like there isn’t any ammunition.
immediately get rid of the gerontocracy (Schumer, Pelosi), regroup, find a leader with some balls and declare open warfare on Republicans.
to be fair, this is probably exactly what republicans want to be able to pull the entire curtain down.
Exactly, the conservatives have spent the last 40 years gradually doing exactly this and the Democrats have spent the last 40 years denying that reality and laughing off the right wing, talk show type populists while they slowly took control of the GOP and the court system.
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.
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?
Way too little, way too late.
Yes. Suture up that corpse.
Yep, now that it’s far too late and the damage is done and they don’t have a majority.
Would have been a lot cooler if Biden did this as a executive action. But you know spinless Democrats and all that…
How would an executive action make this work? Can you explain that?
Same way Donny changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico
So he didn’t, and made a falacy that effects all education for generations. What a fucking idiot of a president
It would not. And they can not.
But that would have upset the capital class and Biden is a proud capitalist so he would never put democracy before profits. Liberal Democrats only ever do things when they know that they don’t have to worry about it actually happening.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks for expanding on this.
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.
Long overdue, and probably too late.
True. I really wish they would focus on things they can actually do as the minority. Like, this is performative, but I’m not even sure for who it’s supposed to be performative. Do dems honestly think there’s even a single voter out there with the attitude of “well I wasn’t going to vote next year, but after seeing dems moonshot yet another dead-on-arrival amendment about a 15-year old court ruling I’m on board!”
Look at what republicans were able to accomplish on the level of school boards, counties, churches, state houses, election commissions, etc while they were out of power and steal their playbook for goodness sake 😒
But if they didnt we would complain why arent they trying. At least someone is trying.
Or trying to look like they are trying. “Trying” kind of implies at least a tiny sliver of a chance of actually succeeding, which this, at the current political moment, absolutely does not have. Believe me, I’m all for them trying stuff, but this might as well be proposing eliminating the electoral collage, electing Senators based on population, or passing the ERA. I’m all for all of those things, but they are a total pipedream from our current position. I just really really don’t think there is an appreciable number of voters out there who think that now is the time for democrats to be showing off their impossible Christmas wish list because “people will complain if we don’t”. What people are complaining about is Dems puttering around having meetings and proposing non-starter solutions rather than owning the fact that they got stomped this time and should now switch to organizing the type of ground-level resistance that worked such wonders for the republicans the last 10 years.
finally something actually based, this would be such a good amendment.
This is moving waaaaaaay too fast. They really should rethink this before they do anything rash! Fucking losers
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.
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
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.
