Grayson’s Campaign Finance Reform Bills

At any time, SCOTUS, still thoroughly polluted with conservative extremist ideologues, may clear the way for a devastating flood of corporate cash to propagandize the public.  Alan Grayson stands in the gap.

Anticipating a Supreme Court decision that could free corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) introduced five bills on Wednesday to choke off the expected flood of corporate cash.

"We are facing a potential threat to our democracy," Grayson said in an interview with HuffPost. "Unlimited corporate spending on campaigns means the government is up for sale and that the law itself will be bought and sold. It would be political bribery on the largest scale imaginable."

At issue in the Supreme Court case is whether the government can limit corporate spending during presidential and congressional campaigns. The case is pitting Citizens United, a conservative group, against the Federal Election Commission. The FEC banned ads for Citizens United’s film bashing Hillary Clinton during the 2008 election season.

Grayson introduced a handful of bills on Wednesday — the Business Should Mind Its Own Business Act, the Corporate Propaganda Sunshine Act, the End Political Kickbacks Act, and two other measures.

The Business Should Mind Its Own Business Act would impose a 500 percent excise tax on corporate contributions to political committees and on corporate expenditures on political advocacy campaigns. The Corporate Propaganda Sunshine Act would require public companies to report what they spend to influence public opinion on any matter other than the promotion of their goods and services. The End Political Kickbacks Act would restrict political contributions by government contractors.

The other measures would apply antitrust regulations to political committees and bar corporations from securities exchanges unless the corporation is certified in compliance with election law… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Huffington Post>

Grayson had done his homework here.  These items are well considered and, if SCOTUS decides that corporate power trumps an honestly informed electorate, we need them if we would hold onto of any chance of meeting the goal to transform the US back from a corporate plutocracy to a democratic republic.  I urge your support.