Grassroots Support Boosts Citizens United Amendments

A growing grassroots movement has energized the movement for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's "Citizens United" decision, Democratic lawmakers said Wednesday.

Speaking at a summit, Congressional sponsors of amendment efforts -- along with local and state elected officials, national advocacy organizations and activists -- lambasted the Supreme Court decision, which gave corporations the same rights as people, opening the floodgates to unlimited amounts of corporate money in politics. And they showcased how their longshot attempt has suddenly gone mainstream.

CWA Legislative Director Shane Larson told the summit that workers will stand and fight the corrosive influence of money in politics.

"We cannot make real change for our members until Citizens United is undone," he said. Check out this tweet and another from the summit.

Check out CWA's live tweeting of #Democracy4Sale here.

Hawaii and New Mexico have passed resolutions calling on Congress to overturn Citizens United, while resolutions are pending in 17 other states, according to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)  In addition, more than 147 cities -- such as Portland, Maine and Boulder, Colo. -- have passed resolutions, and attorneys general from 11 states recently added their support.

"We are fighting for grassroots democracy and we're going to win this fight because you're going to help us at the grassroots level, and most importantly because the people of the United States understand that by allowing big-money interests to spend unlimited amounts of money on campaigns is not what people fought and died for to maintain this great country and our democracy," said Sanders, chief Senate sponsor of the Saving American Democracy Amendment. Read more here.

Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), sponsor of a similar constitutional amendment in the House, said groundswell is proof that the movement is moving forward. "This amendment process is about a ground game," he said.

At least 11 members of Congress gathered in the Capitol Visitor Center hearing room, including Democratic Reps. John Conyers (Mich.), Donna Edwards (Md.), Keith Ellison (Minn.), Rush Holt (N.J.), John Sarbanes (Md.), Betty Sutton (Ohio), Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), Ted Deutch (Fla.), Hank Johnson (Ga.), Peter Welch (Vt.), and David Cicilline (R.I.).

CWA, Public Citizen, Common Cause, People for the American Way and Move to Amend, all joining the summit, are working together to end the unfettered influence of corporate money.