Since President Obama took office, we've faced two opponents in every major fight we've had -- Republicans and special interests opposed to change. Whether it's Wall Street lobbyists, insurance companies, or the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Republicans always have a deep-pocketed ally ready to help them stand in the way of reform.
If we do nothing, the 2010 election will be no different.
After the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, which overturned years of hard-fought campaign finance law, corporate interests are more powerful than ever. They can now spend money attacking President Obama's agenda and his allies right up until Election Day.
That's why it's so important to support the bipartisan legislation (http://my.democrats.org/page/m/4052b083 ... 5927/VEsH/) introduced this week to prevent corporate cash from drowning out the voice of the American people.
As we've seen time and time again, it's easy for reform like this to get bogged down. But this is too crucial to wait. If we're going to get this done before the fall campaign season, we need to show now that the American people just won't tolerate elections dominated by free-spending special interests.
Sign our petition in support of fair elections. We're planning an ad campaign featuring this petition, and we want your name to be part of it.
http://my.democrats.org/page/m/4052b083 ... 5927/VEsE/
The new bill would establish the toughest disclosure requirements for corporate campaign spending in history. It would prevent foreign-controlled corporations and government contractors from spending money on elections and prohibit political spending by companies that received government bailout money. If we can pass it soon, it will be the law of the land before November.
But none of this will be easy.
People say that money in politics is like water -- it finds every crack. But the Citizens United decision isn't a crack; it opens a breach in the foundation of fair elections in this country.
Though special interests are now free to spend money on campaigns, we can still hold them accountable. We can make them stand by the ads they run, and we can shine a light on their involvement so that everyone knows who is trying to influence our elections and government.
But we need your help to do it. Please sign our petition in support of fair elections:
http://my.democrats.org/SupportFairElections
Thanks,
Governor Tim Kaine
Chairman