Dick Durbin: “I thank the Senator from Texas. It overturns Citizens United by authorizing Congress and State legislatures to prohibit…”

“I thank the Senator from Texas. It overturns Citizens United by authorizing Congress and State legislatures to prohibit corporations and unions from spending money from their treasuries to influence elections. Our amendment will ensure that elections are contests for the best ideas, a contest where mere mortals--the group I mentioned earlier--have the same chance to succeed as multimillionaires. That is why our amendment is supported by 60 diverse advocacy organizations and the majority of the American people. Politicians may not get it, but the American people do. They could see what is happening to this bidding war we now call elections. They understand the flood of television. We have one Senatorial candidate on our side, who she has been subjected to $15 million in independent expenditures, negative ads in her State. That has been going on for almost 1 year. She is going to weather the storm and be reelected, incidentally. But imagine that $15 million of special interest groups just showering her with hate and venom for month after weary month. Is that what our political process has come down to? Opponents of our amendment argue that any limit whatsoever on election spending violates the First Amendment. Just as there is no constitutional right to buy an election, freedom of speech doesn't give anyone the right to violate or overwhelm the constitutional rights of others.…”