Political Quotes

“I rise today as a proud cosponsor of the DISCLOSE Act. The Citizens United case opened the floodgates to unprecedented spending from super PACs and outside interests. I am concerned this ruling has effectively given those with the deepest pockets the loudest voice. This is a situation that works to the detriment of our democracy because the flood of secret money is drowning out the voices of working families. In the elections following the Citizens United case, corporate and special-interest money has poured into our political system. In the 2010 midterm election, there was a fourfold increase in spending from these entities in comparison to 2006. During that same timeframe, anonymous spending by organizations rose from 1 percent in 2006 to 44 percent in 2010. In response to the surge in secret election spending by special interests, the DISCLOSE Act seeks to restore accountability and transparency in our country's elections. The bill represents an important first step in addressing the many problems created by the Citizens United ruling. Even the Supreme Court reckoned that greater transparency would likely be needed to mitigate the risk of corruption as a result of its ruling. Therefore, I am baffled by my colleagues who are dragging their heels on such a commonsense measure. Voters deserve to know who is making large donations to influence an election.…”