Political Quotes

“earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court once again chose to dismantle campaign finance laws which had protected hard-working Americans for decades. In McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, a sharply divided Court held that aggregate limits on campaign contributions are a violation of the First Amendment. These were the same five justices who, just 4 years ago, reversed a century of precedent in Citizens United by declaring that corporations have a First Amendment right to endlessly finance and influence elections. Rather than increasing access and encouraging participation for all Americans, this Court continues to rule against our democratic principles and in favor of moneyed interests. The Court's recent dismantling of campaign finance laws has been devastating. As Justice Breyer warned in his dissent: Taken together with Citizens United, [the McCutcheon] decision eviscerates our Nation's campaign finance laws, leaving a remnant incapable of dealing with the grave problems of democratic legitimacy that those laws were intended to resolve. I could not agree with him more. Nobody who has watched our elections or even tried to watch television since the Citizens United decision can deny the enormous impact that decision has had on our political process. In small states like Vermont, that decision coupled with McCutcheon poses an even greater risk.…”