Dick Durbin: “I start by commending my colleague from Vermont. What happened today across the street at the Supreme Court will be lost…”

“I start by commending my colleague from Vermont. What happened today across the street at the Supreme Court will be lost on most Americans. They can't understand why they should even care about it. The Supreme Court was asked whether it was proper under the law to limit the number of Federal campaigns and the total dollars an individual can give to candidates. To no one's surprise, the Supreme Court said there should be no limitation. People can give as much money as they want to as many Federal candidates they want with no limitation. Most Americans will say: So what? You know, these politicians run against one another. During the campaign both sides spend too much money. I am sick and tired of their ads. I don't care how you pay for it; it is all bad. But I have to say, Senator Sanders put his finger on it. What is at issue here is not just how we finance campaigns. It is who we elect. What we are faced with is a Supreme Court across the street which celebrates oligarchs. They happen to believe that the wealthiest people in America deserve the strongest voice in American politics. I couldn't disagree more. Sadly, many of us are caught up in this system of campaign financing where we literally have to raise millions of dollars to run for election and reelection.…”