New Mexico Mercury

McCutcheon ruling allows individuals to donate millions per election cycle, further drowning out voters’ voices.

The Roberts Court today continued its drive to give Americans a government of, by and for big money. As you probably know by now, the US Supreme Court went mucking around in politics again this morning. Its decision in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission struck another blow on behalf of the powerful and against the hundreds of millions of Americans whose voices can now be drowned out by the wealthiest 1 percent.

The high court interprets and enforces the law. But we the people can still change it.

Today’s decision in McCutcheon v. FEC is Citizens United round two, and is not good for democracy in our country – campaigns are already overrun with large political donors, and this decision makes it even easier for them to buy elections.

Do you care about the environment? Women? Children? Workers? America? Anything? Then today's McCutcheon decision should make you MAD!

This lays out a welcome mat for corruption here in New Mexico and across the country. This opens the door for each member of our congressional delegation and every candidate for Congress to solicit multi-million dollar gifts from ultra-wealthy donors. Common sense tells us that folks who can give that kind of money are going to want something in return.

Common Cause New Mexico will join Central New Mexico Move to Amend and others on SATURDAY, April 5^th at Tulane and Central in Albuquerque for a rally.

Thanks to today’s decision, a politician can  solicit from a single donor a $3.6 million check for party committees and federal candidates, consigning to background noise the hundreds of millions of Americans who can’t afford to give more than $5, $10 or even $100 to parties or the candidates of their choice.

This is a return to the ‘soft money’ era, in which donors could hide six- and seven-figure gifts to individual candidates by donating the money to joint committees or party committees that simply passed it to the intended recipient. It is naïve to think that such vast sums of political money do not buy special access and favors.

Whether in Washington, at the statehouse or at city hall, major donors routinely get major access to the officials their money helps elect; their lobbyists are invited to help write and amend laws that impact their businesses, and they are rewarded with government jobs, contracts and tax breaks. This system already has helped produce economic inequality unlike any seen in America since before the Great Depression; the court today almost certainly made it worse.

Common Cause-backed resolutions calling on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment against Citizens United have been approved by voters, state legislatures and local governments in 16 states and hundreds of localities coast-to-coast. New Mexico was the second state to call for overturning Citizens United in 2012 by passing resolutions in the State House and State Senate.

Common Cause will continue to push for public financing of campaigns at the federal, state and local levels, as well as improved disclosure of political money in New Mexico. Common Cause New Mexico has been working with Senator Peter Wirth for the last several years to get a meaningful disclosure law in place, even passing the State Senate three times, twice unanimously. New Mexicans must tell their State Representatives to pass disclosure now!

In a Common Cause New Mexico December 2013 poll by Research and Polling, Inc. on money in politics in New Mexico, we found that:

• 80% of NM voters believe the amount of influence that large campaign donors have on politicians is a problem
• 77% of NM voters feel the impact that large campaign donors have on the outcome of elections is a problem
• 87% of NM voters support requiring that all large political contributions from individuals, corporations, PACs, non-profits or unions be made public
• 64% of NM voters would be more likely to support a candidate who strongly pushes for campaign finance and ethics reforms relating to money in politics when making decisions about supporting candidates for New Mexico office

Together we can restore government of, by and for the people. Money out, people in.

Common Cause New Mexico is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to restoring the core values of American democracy, reinventing an open, honest, and accountable government that works for the public interest, and empowering ordinary people to make their voices heard.