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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHarry Reid worries about '17 Angry Old White Men' Buying The Nation
On Monday, the Nevada Democrat was on the Senate floor defending Democratic-backed campaign-finance legislation known as the DISCLOSE Act when he uttered the following thought (the relevant passage starts at the 8:00 mark in this C-SPAN video):"Perhaps Republicans want to shield a handful of billionaires willing to contribute nine figures to sway a close presidential election. ... If this flood of outside money continues, the day after the election 17 angry old white men will wake up and realize they just bought the country. That's a sad commentary.
"About 60 percent, or more, of these outside dollars are coming from these 17 people ..."
Yep, there are at least hundreds of thousands of us who are worried about the same damn thing, Senator Reid.
rustydog
(9,186 posts)tpsbmam
(3,927 posts)Bernie Sanders ?@SenSanders
It's a pretty sad day for American democracy when we cannot get even one Republican vote for the #DISCLOSE Act.
I so agree, sir.
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)since that's what cost him his primary.
SunSeeker
(51,787 posts)Seriously. His words are always so powerful...on paper. He needs a reader.
nxylas
(6,440 posts)"Harry Reid is a RACIST!"
synapticwave
(52 posts)I don't understand why people (and corporations, aka people) that are not constituents of an official office are allowed to donate to candidates in an election for that office. It is illegal for foreigners to contribute to a candidate/political party/PAC/etc, but if I'm a citizen in Texas, I'm allowed to influence a Wisconsin Gubernatorial election? How is that any different?
In the post-citizens united world (which is awful by itself), you can spend as much money as you want; but why not limit it to only spending on elections for candidates that would represent you. One person, one vote, one representative!
That doesn't solve anything for the Presidency, but it would fix a lot of problems in every other election from city councils to US senate seats.
tpsbmam
(3,927 posts)I have no problem with people from different areas contributing to campaigns. After all, we're all allowed to do it. If I see a good progressive congressman, for example, having to fight a Republican who has mega-corporate PAC money behind him, I try to contribute to that good progressive Democrat.
It's most definitely in my interest to have that progressive Democrat in Congress. That most certainly will directly affect me and my life, as it will yours. Look at what the turn of the House of Representatives did in 2010, with the House becoming majority Republican. Utter disaster, and it affects all of us. It's not just the person in that district.
And sadly, thanks to Citizens United, we DO have foreign money financing Republican campaigns. Hell, even John McCain called out his fellow Republicans on it:
John McCain Accuses Republicans of Using Foreign Money Against Obama:
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: Im afraid, at least for the time being, thats going to be the case, because of the most misguided, naive, uninformed, egregious decision of the United States Supreme Court I think in the 21st century.
To somehow view money as not having an effect on election, a corrupting effect on election, flies in the face of reality. I just wish one of them had run for county sheriff. So what we are. . .
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: Mr. Adelson, who gave large amounts of money to the Gingrich campaign. And much of Mr. Adelsons casino profits that go to him come from this casino in Macau.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Which says what?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: Which says that, obviously, maybe in a roundabout way, foreign money is coming into an American campaign political campaigns.
Romney's biggest donor, Sheldon Adelson, has pledged to give endless amounts of money to see him elected. Here's more on him:
Adelson received widespread public attention during the 2012 U.S. presidential race because of his massive donations to groups backing the campaigns of Newt Gingrich and later Mitt Romney, as well as to the Karl Rove-backed Crossroads GPS and PACs linked to the billionaires Charles and David Koch and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.).[1] The New York Times estimated in June 2012 that all told, Adelson and his spouse had already donated $60 million during the 2012 election cycle.[2]Sheldon
Adelsons political donations have generated ire across the political spectrum. Even Sen. John McCain, a Romney surrogate, criticized Adelsons campaign cash, arguing during a June 2012 PBS interview: Much of Mr. Adelson's casino profits that go to him come from his casino in Macau, which says that obviously, maybe in a roundabout way foreign money is coming into an American political campaign. That is a great deal of money, and we need a level playing field and we need to go back to the realization ... that we have to have a limit on the flow of money and corporations are not people.[3]
Best reading is probably here -- People for the American Way wrote an outstanding report on
Citizens Blindsided: Secret Corporate Money in the 2010 Elections and Americas New Shadow Democracy
http://www.pfaw.org/media-center/publications/citizens-blindsided-secret-corporate-money-2010-elections-and-america-s-ne
The vast majority of corporate (and foreign) money is going to the Republicans. Democrats who dig into their measly checking accounts to donate $5 even $500 to a Democrat in another state are not the problem, believe me. It's Citizens United that MUST be overturned and corporate money that has to be heavily regulated when it comes to their ability to influence elections!