We’ve seen first hand what happens when big business is given a license to wild out, via political financial donations. Last year’s Presidential election reads as a worst-case scenario in all honesty. This is not a partisan issue either; Democrats and Republicans are equally responsible for bearing this poisonous fruit. Just because the GOP spent more money, doesn’t mean this is an issue that can be pinned on them. Super PAC money went to the next level last year, and even if, ultimately, the GOP’s cashflow didn’t impact that particular election, doesn’t mean it won’t influence future races.
The electorate in California sees the blood stained writing on the wall and have enacted a respectable pushback. Voters just passed a measure called Proposition C, which starts the ball rolling on overturning the case of Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission. That case was the springboard that allowed corporate money to basically disregard the democratic process, citing First Amendment protection for political financial donations. Hopefully, what’s happening in California can spread across the country. Elections are halfway rigged as it is, Prop C is a way to give citizens a punchers chance in this arena.
Los Angeles voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition C, a resolution that instructed local and state officials to promote the overturning of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. With 100 percent of precincts reporting by 3:16 a.m. Wednesday, Prop C had won 76.6 percent of the vote, according to the LA City Clerk's unofficial results.
In the Citizens United case, the Supreme Court ruled that corporate spending on political campaigns was protected by the First Amendment. The controversial decision has since unleashed a deluge of donations from corporations, unions and individuals that have affected everything from the 2012 presidential election to this year's mayoral race in LA.
It's unclear what legislative impact Prop C will have on the nationwide movement to overturn Citizens United. The ballot measure's language is vague about what steps legislators should take against the 2010 court ruling. But for some activists, it's enough to continue racking up municipalities and states willing to officially renounce Citizens United. With this measure, Los Angeles joins Chicago, San Francisco and 175 other cities who have protested the court decision via the ballot box.
