The American republic is under threat as a democratic form of government. The Supreme Court, with its 2010 Citizens United vs. FEC decision and the recent McCutcheon v. FEC ruling, has made it so elected officials are more dependent than ever upon our largest and most powerful corporations and the wealthy few to get elected.
Citizens United involved an intersection between two court-established doctrines: "money is speech," established in 1976; and "corporations have the rights of persons," first established in 1889. Neither doctrine has any basis in the Constitution. McCutcheon invalidated limitations on aggregate campaign contributions.
We have to demand an amendment to the Constitution that stating money is legal tender, not speech. Constitutional rights are for people, not for associations.
Since the Citizens United ruling, 16 states have conveyed to Congress support for a constitutional amendment. New York should be next. NewYork4Democracy has been building toward an April 28 lobby day.
The amendment to overturn the court doctrines that underpin the Citizens United decision would not establish some new legal groundwork or represent any kind of "experiment" in democracy. The aim is to re-establish the constitutionality of campaign finance law as it was until 1976 and to reset corporate legal status as established by the nation's founders during the first 98 years of our republic.
We are asking politicians to take back the power that the court has taken from them to control how elections are held. It is up to the people to demand our state representatives convey to Congress: the New York Legislature stands ready to ratify an amendment to the constitution to overturn Citizens United and its corrupting consequences.
The writer is state coordinator of Move to Amend.