Alan,
The disastrous decisions of the Supreme Court in the Citizens United case and related cases are undermining the very foundations of American democracy and allowing billionaires and their super PACs to buy politicians and elections.
In essence, the Citizens United ruling handed millionaires and billionaires — who have already rigged the economy — unlimited influence in American elections. It gave billionaires like the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson the opportunity to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to elect candidates from the White House the state legislatures who will represent their interests. In essence, Citizens United is moving us toward an oligarchic form of society in which a handful of billionaires will control the economy and political life.
The Washington Post, in an excellent article, showed us how far the country is moving toward becoming an oligarchy. Incredibly, just TEN donors have poured more than $1.1 BILLION into super PACs in this election alone.
The lesson here is that the political system isn't broken, it is rigged and owned by the billionaire class. One of the best chances to un-rig the system is with ballot initiatives this November that will help get big money out of politics.
California and Washington both have ballot initiatives that will instruct their state's elected officials to do everything in their power to work to overturn Citizens United. And Howard County, Maryland, has the chance to enact a strong system of public financing to level the playing field for local elections.
If these ballot initiatives pass, they will send an unmistakable message that the American public wants to get big money out of politics. That is why they need your help today:
The need for real campaign finance reform is not a progressive issue. It is not a conservative issue. It is an American issue.
The job now is to get big money out of politics and to end voter suppression. The country has got to create a true democracy of one-person, one-vote, not billionaires buying elections.
As Abraham Lincoln reminded us more than 150 years ago, there must be a government of the people, by the people and for the people. That starts with taking the country's destiny out of the hands of the billionaires who want to buy elections.
Citizens United must be overturned to get big money out of politics. More cities, counties and states need to move toward public financing of elections that will level the playing field for people who want to run for office.
I applaud Our Revolution’s work helping to get big money out of politics, and now I am asking for your help today for the ballot initiatives in California, Washington, and Maryland that, if passed, will move the country toward reclaiming American democracy from the billionaire class.
Together, the American people can show the political establishment that it's possible to win elections powered by ordinary Americans, not millionaires, billionaires, and their super PACs. Thank you for making this happen.
In solidarity,
Bernie Sanders
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