Congressional Progressive Caucus chairman Rep. Keith Ellison says the Koch Brothers and the 2010 Citizens United decision that allow corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of money in elections has put democracy into “peril.”
Ellison made his comments during a panel Tuesday titled “Overturning Citizens United: A Movement Mandate” at the Campaign for America’s Future’s Take Back The American Dream Conference in Washington.
The congressman warned that the Supreme Court decision resulted in dirty, secret money being spent on influence at both the local and state levels.
“I got into this fight in order to overturn Citizens United,” said Ellison. “[Having] money in politics means democracy is in peril. Everything you thought this country could be is in peril.”
While making his point about money and negative ads on the right, Ellison turned around and used the very same horror stories and negative tactics against the left’s favorite punching bag on the American right – the Koch Brothers.
Ellison charged that funding the right in America means that endless wars, dirty air and democracy for sale will result. He believes that politics have become so poisonous and volatile that it will be hard for the left to get its message out because of what he sees as the demagoguery of the American right.
State Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) likened the Citizens United case to an “insane outburst of judicial activism.”
The controversial decision unbounded the hands of corporations to unleash their corporate treasuries into local and state elections.
