“The flood of dark money into this nation’s political system threatens to tear apart the fabric of American democracy.  During the 2012 presidential campaign, outside groups spent more than $1 billion.”
 
“Last week, the Center for Public Integrity reported that Charles and David Koch and their radical political empire have funded 44,000 political ads for television so far during this election cycle – 44,000! To put that in perspective, that’s almost 16 consecutive days of around-the-clock, 30-second political ads – and that’s just from the Koch brothers.”  
 
“How could every day American families afford to make their voices heard if spending money is speech? Working families can’t compete with billionaires.”
 
Washington, DC – Nevada Senator Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today on the importance of passing a constitutional amendment to stop the flood of dark money into our nation’s political system. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:
 
As the Senate returns from its state work period, we have a number of vitally important matters that require our attention. We need to pass appropriations legislation to keep the government from shutting down. We need to pass an extension of the Internet Tax Freedom Act. We need to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. We need to pass the Travel Promotion, Enhancement and Modernization Act, which was overwhelmingly passed by the House of Representatives. And we need to reconsider the issues of college affordability and equal pay for women.
 
But the bill before us today, Senator Tom Udall’s constitutional amendment, is as important as any other we’ll consider this Congress. The flood of dark money into this nation’s political system threatens to tear apart the fabric of American democracy.  During the 2012 presidential campaign, outside groups spent more than $1 billion. That’s about as much outside spending as took place in the previous 10 elections, combined. But this spike in the amount of money being pumped into elections is not surprising. Recent decisions rendered by the United States Supreme Court, such as the Citizens United and McCutcheon cases, have destroyed our campaign finance laws and have left the American people with a status quo in which radical billionaires are attempting to buy our democracy.
 
Meanwhile, hard-working families, who don’t have endless funds to dump into political campaigns, are expected to sit on the sidelines and watch as two brothers try and fix every election in America to their liking. And when I say that Americans are watching the Koch brothers try and influence November election results, I mean that literally.           
 
Last week, the Center for Public Integrity reported that Charles and David Koch and their radical political empire have funded 44,000 political ads for television so far during this election cycle – 44,000! To put that in perspective, that’s almost 16 consecutive days of around-the-clock, 30-second political ads – and that’s just from the Koch brothers. Imagine that, 16 consecutive days of non-stop political ads – no 24-hour news coverage, no ESPN, and no reality television. Just the Koch brothers’ paid actors and deceitful messaging all day, every day, for more than two weeks. This is the political environment that the Citizens United decision has borne – a society inundated by the radical political musings of two billionaires.
 
And while the Kochs and other special interests are using their vast resources to make their voices heard, Americans are being systematically disenfranchised from our democracy. That is wrong.  Our involvement in government should not be dependent on a check book. The American people reject the notion that money gives  billionaires, corporations or special interests a greater voice in government than voters. They believe, as I do, that the Constitution doesn’t give corporations a vote, and it doesn’t give dollar bills a vote.
 
The only people who don’t see it that way are Republicans here in Congress – they see money as speech. In fact, the Republican Leader himself has said, “In our society, spending is speech.” If spending is speech, where does that leave middle class Americans? Should their role in our democracy be diminished because they are paying a mortgage and sending kids to college? Should a family hard-hit by the recession take a back seat in our government to a couple of billionaires? How could every day American families afford to make their voices heard if spending money is speech? Working families can’t compete with billionaires.
 
So we are faced with a choice: We can keep the status quo or, we can change the system and restore the fundamental principle of one American, one vote. This constitutional amendment proposed by Senators Tom Udall and Michael Bennett is about restoring freedom of speech to all Americans; and telling the rest of the world that our government is not for sale. It grants Congress the authority to regulate and limit the raising and spending of money for federal political campaigns. Senators Udall and Bennet’s amendment will rein in the massive spending of Super PACs, which has grown exponentially since the Supreme Court’s misguided Citizens United decision. It also provides states with the authority to institute campaign spending limits at the state level. This is a common sense solution to an issue that is plaguing our political system.
 
Yet instead of joining with us to expel the undue influence of special interests from our government, Senate Republicans are doing their best to keep the status quo in place. Republicans are feigning interest, hoping that by debating this issue they can waste precious time and test Democrats’ resolve. Well, we are resolved to vote on this amendment. And I will do everything in my power to move this legislation forward regardless of any Republican obstruction, because this issue is too important. Simply put, this constitutional amendment is what we need to bring sanity back to elections and restore Americans’ confidence in our democracy.
 
We must overturn the status quo created by the Supreme Court and instead put in place a system that works for all Americans – not just the richest of the rich. This is what this entire issue boils down to – whether our democracy is, as President Lincoln said, a “government of the people, by the people and for the people,” or a government of the rich, by the rich, and exclusively for the rich. The American people want change. They want their place in government to be protected.
 
The constitutional amendment before the Senate today protects working Americans. It protects their voice and participation in government. Because our voice – not our checkbook – is the very essence of American democracy.