Clinton will push constitutional amendment to ‘overturn Citizens United’

[Bill USA]

Clinton will push constitutional amendment to ‘overturn Citizens United’

ST. LOUIS — Hillary Clinton will call for a constitutional amendment to "overturn Citizens United" in her first 30 days as president and plans to make that announcement today to progressive activists at the annual Netroots Nation conference.

"I will also appoint Supreme Court justices who understand that this decision was a disaster for our democracy," Clinton will say in a video message, scheduled to run near the end of today's final keynote session. "I will fight for other progressive reforms, including small-dollar matching and disclosure requirements. I hope some of the brilliant minds in this room will seek out cases to challenge Citizens United in the courts."

In a statement accompanying the announcement, Clinton pledges to promote Securities and Exchange Commission "rulemaking requiring publicly traded companies to disclose all political spending to their shareholders" and to sign an "executive order requiring federal government contractors to fully disclose all political spending." She has discussed versions of those ideas on the campaign trail, but the forum of Netroots Nation — a conference in its 11th year that she visited in person only once — was a striking place to make the statement.

Clinton's campaign previewed the announcement for some progressive groups, which gave it their seal of approval. "Hillary Clinton's commitment to overturning Citizens United, and her other systemic proposals like public financing of congressional elections, are key to improving our chances of victory on every other issue," said Marissa Barrow, a spokeswoman for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
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[Old Union Guy]

1. Corporations should not be allowed to air political propaganda, right?

Corporations should be required to buy the politicians directly.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

2. It won't work, but it would be a good thing if it did.

This is a symbolic publicity stunt, nothing more, but there's nothing wrong with that.

[yeoman6987]

5. 100 percent right

No way an amendment will happen. A change in law maybe if we have all 3 parts.

[elleng]

3. Interesting.

A President has little or no authority concerning adoption of Constitutional Amendments,

The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures.

https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/constitution/


and as the Securities and Exchange Commission is an INDEPENDENT regulatory agency, the only power a President has is via the selection of a Chair.

No more than three Commissioners may belong to the same political party. The President also designates one of the Commissioners as Chairman, the SEC's top executive. However, the President does not possess the power to fire the appointed Commissioners, a provision that was made to ensure the independence of the SEC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Securities_and_Exchange_Commission#Organizational_structure

[Bill USA]

7. your citing of sources is accurate, but most people are aware that the President as head of his/her

party has considerable influence. I don't think Clinton thinks she can swing a magic wand and make it so.

[elleng]

12. 'Considerable influence' varies significantly,

as we see from President Obama's experience.

She appears to want to encourage people to think she will have a LOT of influence.

[bettyellen]

16. Nash, I think that she is showing people that shooting for the moon - like Bernie wanted to- is a

Nice idea, but people will see it takes a lot more to get it done. Nothing wrong with shedding a bit of her pragmatic wonky side now that her opponent is a moron.

[Bill USA]

19. it's called variously: "can-do attitude", positive attitude, eagerness to get things done

kind of the attitude I would hope someone running for the job of President to have.

.. she probably is counting on considerable down-ballot wins - as are Democrats in general.

[Hortensis]

4. Mostly symbolic. Least likely remedy to work

by far. At least two of the four or so ways states handle amendments effectively allow the governor to choose which way the state'll go; worst case they have to get the legislature to go along. Right now red states outnumber blue states.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

6. True, but missing the point.

It's a publicity stunt. It's empty grandstanding. It's gesture politics. Let's be upfront about that.

But saying "I think we should do X", when X is something with no chance of happening but a) it would be a good thing if it did and b) saying "I think we should do X" is popular and will help you win an election is the kind of empty grandstanding I'm all in favour of.

C.F. Obama's wholly vacuous but spectacularly effective posters with the single word "HOPE" written on them.

[Hortensis]

14. Mostly symbolic, but symbolic actions can be

very important. We could do almost anything if enough of the left was energized off its butts.

[bettyellen]

17. See, I think it's interesting that people will say "impossible"

When she prosposes it but the same people were
Lauding Sanders for pushing for things that were just as difficult. Interesting gambit.

[Bill USA]

20. note she isn't limiting herself to one approach. This is her pragmatic get-things-accomplished

.. approach made manifest. - I'm pulling for Dems to get Citizens United over-turned one way or the other...I think we should do that.. IMHO.

... And I'm glad we will have the candidate who is most likely to actually get it done. You can count on me to be enthusiastically supporting her efforts to get it done. But I won't be alone. I'm sure all DEMOCRATs will be equally as enthusiastic about dispatching this horrendous decision by the Supremes.

"I will also appoint Supreme Court justices who understand that this decision was a disaster for our democracy," Clinton will say in a video message, scheduled to run near the end of today's final keynote session. "I will fight for other progressive reforms, including small-dollar matching and disclosure requirements. I hope some of the brilliant minds in this room will seek out cases to challenge Citizens United in the courts."

[Hortensis]

22. Agree. This will put it before the American people,

most of whom want it gone, and spark a national dialogue about arranging just that. It wouldn't help the reputation of the Republican Party at all to defeat it, if it actually went to the states.

[democrattotheend]

8. That's great!

Glad to hear it! I agree with Matt Santos on the West Wing: until you reform campaign finance it will be impossible to get other progressive things done. Bernie's focus on overturning Citizens United was one of the reasons I supported him. I knew Clinton opposed it but this is the strongest statement I have heard of her making.

[Bill USA]

21. RW talking points die hard..... for some. "Clinton opposed it" - right out of the Conservative

Alternate Universe. ROFL!!


...

[MohRokTah]

9. I OPPOSE such an amendment.

I am unwilling to go fucking around with the first amendment over one SCOTUS Decision I disagree with.

[Warren DeMontague]

10. I agree that the 1st Amendment should be left alone.

An amendment is unlikely to happen, anyway, but the problem with CU is interpretation, not the constitution itself.

[MohRokTah]

11. Completely AGREED! eom

[Democat]

15. Agreed, replace the justices instead

We don't want right wingers changing the constitution, so probably better nobody does.

Replace the right wing Supreme Court justices to get rid of a corrupt ruling.

[Bill USA]

23. I know Rightwingers find this hard to believe but the word "corporations" does not appear in the

Constitution or Declaration of Independence.

[Amimnoch]

13. Waste of time.

Even being the most optimistic on how November will shape up, she's not going to have either the congress or the states to make an amendment happen.

However, the right legal challenge, and the right new SCOTUS appointment, and I think we can make it happen.

[UCmeNdc]

18. Good!