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Citizens United Remedy Needed Now More Than Ever

January 23, 2012 3 Comments



Saturday marked two years since the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission decision, which overturned decades of precedent to allow corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited sums on independent political expenditures. Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the RAC, issued a statement Friday marking the anniversary, condemning the Citizens United ruling and calling for campaign finance reform. “When money takes precedence over policy, passion, and intellect in an election, we fail to address the needs of our communities and our nation,” he said. You can read the full statement from Rabbi Saperstein here.

Over the past few months, we have witnessed the tremendous impact of the Citizens United ruling on our elections and campaign finance system. In the heat of the current presidential primary race, for example, negative attack ads have flooded television and radio airwaves, and new Super PACs are challenging the limit on what it means to not “coordinate” with a candidate.

We renew our call for a remedy to the Citizens United decision, specifically by supporting federal, state, and local initiatives that support public financing systems. The Fair Elections Now Act (S. 750/H.R. 1404) would ensure clean and fair elections by making public funds available to candidates for Congressional office. Urge your members of Congress to counteract the increasing influence of corporate money in elections by co-sponsoring the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 750/H.R. 1404). The Capitol Switchboard can be reached at 202.224.3121, or you can send an e-mail by clicking here.

Image courtesy of Slate.

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RAC
Susan Paykin

About Susan Paykin

Susan Paykin is a 2011-2012 Eisendrath Legislative Assistant at the RAC. She is a native of Oakland, NJ, and recently graduated from Brandeis University.
View all posts by Susan Paykin →

3 Responses to “Citizens United Remedy Needed Now More Than Ever”

  1. Rabbi Jonathan Gerard Reply January 23, 2012 at 8:28 pm

    Isn’t there anything the American Jewish Community can do to stand against Adelson and the millions ($10M?) he and his wife have given to Newt?

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