Citizens United

Join PDA’s Declaration of Independence from Corporate Rule

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Stop Citizen's United. Get money out of politics.
Stop Citizen’s United. Get money out of politics.

Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) and allies have been working to overturn Citizens United, the dubious Supreme Court decision that opened the floodgates to let special interest money dominate and corrupt our elections.

Senate Joint Resolution 19 (SJ Res 19) seeks to overturn Citizens United by initiating the Constitutional Amendment process. The proposed amendment would restore the ability to regulate money in our elections.

Thursday, July 10, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on whether or not to send SJ Res 19 onward for a vote before the full Senate. This promises to be an historic breakthrough!

There are four things you can do starting today to help this national coalition effort succeed. 

1. Call both of your Senators today at 866-937-7983 and ask them to cosponsor SJ Res 19, if they haven’t already (full details below).

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HB2306: AZ Legislature proposes increasing the influence of big money on elections

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Citizens united

by Pamela Powers Hannley

So, here's the deal…

Arizonans passed the Citizens Clean Elections Act in 1998, but since the Arizona Legislature likes to do whatever they want to do and not necessarily what the people want, they have been trying to kill Clean Elections for years.

The Supreme Court helped them out in 2010, when it said matching funds to help level the playing field for Clean Elections candidates was unconstitutional because it violates free speech. (The Roberts Court made this decision basically the same week as the infamous Citizens United case which said corporations are people and money = speech.)

Now, Rep. Eddie Farnsworth– obviously doing the bidding of corporate masters– has proposed HB2306 which would increase the influence of big money on Ariozna politics.

From Arizona Advocacy Network:

HB 2306 would double the allowable PAC contributions to candidates, thus disregarding limits set by Arizona voters in the Clean Elections Act.  Not only does this spurn voters, but it also violates the Voter Protection Act because it does not promote the intent of voters to reign in Big Money influence.

Find out how you can stop this legislaion after the jump.

‘Ray Theon, where are you?’: Tucson bride seeks corporate master for domination

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Tucson bride051by Pamela Powers Hannley

In tough times, even the most independent woman may find herself turning to traditional feminine tactics to secure her financial future– like marrying a sugar daddy.

And what better sugar daddy could a woman find than a corporate person? As reported earlier by this blogger, seven New York City brides married and pledged allegiance to seven corporate masters… er… grooms on the steps of the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, January 19, the third anniversary of the Citizens United decision by the US Supreme Court.

Occupy Tucson activist and former mayoral candidate Mary DeCamp had hoped to find her corporate master– Ray Theon— at the federal building in downtown Tucson on Friday, but alas the lovely bride and her "father" (pictured here) were disappointed when the groom didn't show. (Did "Ray" think he was not worthy of Mary when he saw her "father" holding the "Corporations are not people" sign?)

According to DeCamp, she searched around the federal building and the Bank of America building for "Ray" but couldn't find him. 

"Excuse me sir, you look very corporate, are you a corporation?  I hear corporations are 'persons' now, and they have free speech," DeCamp asked passersby.  "I want to find one, hopefully Ray Theon, who will marry me and make me a rich bride. Yoo Hoo, Raaaay!  Ray Theon!  Come out, come out, wherever you are!  I want to get married now." 

Approximately 24 activists from Move to Amend, Womens International League for Peace and Freedom (WILF), Occupy All Streets, Code Pink, Raging Grannies, and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson were on hand to help DeCamp find a corporate person to own and dominate her for the rest of her life. More photos after the jump.

Citizens United: 7 brides marry 7 corporations on steps on NY Stock Exchange (video)

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Corp brideby Pamela Powers Hannley

January 21, 2010 is a date that will go down in infamy. It is the date the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Citizens United and declared that corporations are people, money equals speech, and campaign finance reform that limits the amount of money a corporation can donate to political campaigns is unconstitutional.

This decision paved the way for the obscene amounts of money that were spent in the 2010 and 2012 elections and emboldened groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to write "model" laws for their elected minions to pass.

Happy peasants nationwide celebrated the third anniversary of corporate personhood on Friday, with the biggest celebration being a mass wedding on the steps of the New York Stock Exchange. With the Devil and hundreds of Occupiers as witnesses and Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping officiating, seven brides pledged their allegiance to seven corporate persons, and in turn, the corporate grooms promised to dominate and "own" them for the rest of their lives. Watch the wedding ceremony after the jump.