Citizens petition Congress to get big money out of politics

Citizens are uniting against "Citizens United."

On Friday, a group of area residents brought a petition to United States Congressman Sam Johnson's Richardson office asking him to support a constitutional amendment to get big money out of politics.

Signed by thousands and drafted by MoveOn.org, a political action group backed by more than 7 million Americans from every state and congressional district, the petition calls for citizens' action in reversing the U.S. Supreme Court's January 2010 "Citizens United" ruling that grants corporations and individuals the right to spend unlimited money influencing federal elections.

"The money of the fabulously rich...should have no more influence than the $5 that my husband and I contribute whenever we can," Susan Cooper, a MoveOn member, said Friday outside Johnson's office. "The time has come to support a constitutional amendment that will limit the amount of money individuals and corporations can spend on political campaigns and donate to political officials."

This year is the first presidential election since the Supreme Court's decision in "Citizens United v. FEC." Because of the ruling, super PACs can accept unlimited donations and spend unlimited amounts to publicly advocate for or against the presidential candidates.

According to OpenSecrets.org, another government watchdog website that reports on the activities of super PACs, there were 611 super PACs with receipts totaling more than $221 million as of June 18. Because they're considered 527 groups for tax purposes, many super PACs are associated with nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organizations, which are not required to report contributions.

The Supreme Court's ruling earlier this month that bars the state of Montana from using state laws to subvert the "Citizens United" decision further incited opponents to take action. Petition proponents point to ExxonMobil, the Koch brothers and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson as major entities pumping big money into this year's elections.

An article this month from the Huffington Post reported that Adelson, one of the world's richest men, has spent more than $71 million in political contributions toward super PACs, mostly those supporting Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

"If corporate money continues to be treated as free speech, the 1 percent will be the only ones who can afford to be heard," said Anita Simpson, a local MoveOn.org member. "That's why so many Americans across the political spectrum want to overturn 'Citizens United,' and why MoveOn members are joining the push to put democracy back in the hands of the people."

Friday's petition delivery was part of a nationwide effort to gain support for permanently removing big money from politics. More than 8,000 Texas citizens and 159,000 Americans have signed the petition, which has thus far spurred 97 elected officials to announce their support for a constitutional amendment, according to MoveOn members.

Their aim is to present the petition to every state and federal lawmaker who has not declared support for an amendment.

In a pre-delivery speech at Johnson's office, Kellye Kirkpatrick said polls show that 80 percent of Americans oppose the "Citizens United" decision, including prominent Republicans such as former presidential candidate John McCain, who called it "the most misguided, naïve, uninformed, egregious decision of the United States Supreme Court...in the 21st century."

Kirkpatrick told the group the latest information on the election cycle shows that 196 individual donors have contributed more than 80 percent of the money raised by super PACs by giving $100,000 or more.

She said other groups similar to super PACs are "masquerading" as "social welfare organizations" classified as nonprofits that, thus, do not have to report donations or donor names. Two main such groups are American Crossroad GPS (Karl Rove's group) and Americans for Prosperity (the Koch brothers' group).

"There is a total lack of accountability with these so-called 'social welfare organizations,'" she said.

In her article about the recent Montana ruling, Erika Johnsen of Hot Air.com said that "Citizens United," a controversial 5-4 decision, split down the conservative-liberal line, initially outraging liberals with corporations' newly granted spending capabilities, and that "plenty of people have pointed to the ruling as a huge factor in the outcome of the November 2012 elections."

Some petitioners on Friday made clear their affiliation with the Democratic Party, but they all stressed that attaining a constitutional amendment must be a bipartisan task. Oliver Moseley, one who delivered the petition, said, "We need to get all of these clowns out of Congress and replace them with people who are going to benefit the country rather than themselves."

Paul Heller, another in attendance, said he's part of several groups interested in getting big money out of politics, including MoveOn.

"I think the constitutional amendment is the only thing that's going to work," he said. "It's clearly a multi-year effort...it obviously has to have widespread support, so my view is that we've got to get involved in this long-term effort, build grassroots support, so that Republicans feel safe to get behind it."

Because Johnson was not at his office when they delivered their document, petitioners talked to Lori McMahon, Third District of Texas director. They showed a united front against "Citizens United" -- a ruling they feel threatens the American way.

"We are now calling on Sam Johnson to serve heroically again," said Kirkpatrick, referencing Johnson's experience as a Vietnam POW. "This time we are asking him to fight for democracy in our own country."

For more information about MoveOn and the petition, go to www.moveon.org.

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