Campaign Finance Reform
Last weekend there was something strange and unusual happening out in Southern California near a place called Dana Point, which is north of San Diego. The previous night's guests were being ushered off the premises by hotel security. A…
Last weekend there was something strange and unusual happening out in Southern California near a place called Dana Point, which is north of San Diego. The previous night's guests were being ushered off the premises by hotel security. A private security team moved onto the property, setting up checkpoints. The hotel employees could be seen sweeping the rooms for electronic listening devices, and dozens of wealthy men and women were led into the resort, registering to attend an event deceptively entitled ``T&R Annual Sales Meeting.''
This meeting, once started, turned into a multiple-day event. It was closed to all spectators, journalists, and all those not explicitly invited. No official itinerary was available and details have not been forthcoming.
There were at least two Senators slated to attend and they did attend, but their offices have refused to comment on their participation. After all, attendees were sworn to secrecy--high levels of security, concealment, deception, and oaths of silence. That doesn't sound anything like a typical conference. It sounds more like a cult. But instead of being a religious movement or a secret sect, this is a cult of money, influence, and self-serving politics. This is the cult of Koch, and I am referring to the Koch brothers.
At their twice-yearly secret donor retreat, Charles and David Koch raise millions--millions and hundreds of millions--of dollars they then use to pursue their radical agenda--and it is radical. This year's conference was especially important to the Koch brothers as they coordinate efforts to spend hundreds of millions of dollars dictating this year's elections.
But why cloak their message in secrecy?
In his op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Charles Koch invited his critics to ``try to understand my vision for a free society.'' It is easy to understand. Look at the Libertarian run he had for Vice President in 1982. They laid out what they wanted to do: privatize Social Security, basically do away with government. So to his critics he said, ``Try to understand my vision of a free society.''
That is pretty easy to do. How could we possibly understand the Kochs' vision, though, when they and their loyal followers try to do everything in secrecy? They hide from America. The truth is the Koch brothers are concealing their massive fundraising because Americans overwhelmingly oppose the purchase of our country. Our country shouldn't be for sale, and it isn't for sale, and I think in a little less than 5 minutes that can be proven.
Instead of making the case directly to the American people, the Koch brothers funnel unseemly amounts of money into elections, trying to elect representatives who will do their bidding. Again in the paper today, they have all these phony organizations they fund. It is just a way to hide the agenda of the Koch brothers. They don't want their name to appear. They want to do everything they can to mislead the American people.
The influence of unlimited spending on a political system is not right. It allows individuals to dictate their will on the American electoral process, and in this instance in secret. This unlimited campaign spending disenfranchises Americans who don't have the resources to go tit-for-tat with two of the richest men in the world.
When the minority leader was a freshman Senator, he also took exception to the limitless spending of special interests. He said:
If the American public thinks that special interests are
having undue influence on the process, then get rid of the
PACs. I will be more than happy to eliminate PACs altogether.
But I guess times have changed. Now the Republican leader rails against campaign finance reform when in the past he was in favor. There should be no surprise that he attended the Kochs' planning session this past weekend. Evidently Senator McConnell no longer believes that special interests have an undue influence on our government.
But he wasn't the only member to attend the Koch extravaganza. The junior Senator from Florida found the time to fly across the country and kiss the ring of the Republican Party's billionaire benefactors and, among other things, told them how outrageous it is that people are talking about the climate changing, that the Earth is warming. I am sure the junior Senator got a lot of applause there, even though we were not able to hear the applause because it is all very secret.
What else should we expect? The decisions by the Supreme Court have left the American people with the status quo in which one side's billionaires are pitted against the other side's billionaires--except one side doesn't have any billionaires.
We must undo the damage done by the Supreme Court's recent campaign finance decisions, and we need to do it now. That is why I support the constitutional amendment sponsored by Senators Tom Udall of New Mexico and Michael Bennet of Colorado. This constitutional amendment grants Congress the authority to regulate and eliminate the raising and spending of money for Federal elections. Senators Udall and Bennet's amendment will rein in the massive spending of super PACs which have grown so much since the Citizens United decision in January of 2010. This constitutional amendment also provides States with the authority to institute campaign spending limits at the State level.
Simply put, a constitutional amendment is what this Nation needs to bring sanity back to political campaigns and to restore Americans' confidence in their elected leaders.
Let's put an end to the cult of darkness which is corrupting our elections. It is time we revive our constituents' faith in the electoral system and let them know their voices are being heard.
Be happy to.
We are already seeing it, I am sad to say. In one State the Koch brothers have spent almost $20 million against one Senator, and they say that is just the beginning.
America should not be for sale. I agree with the Republican leader when he said there should be limits put on this. I agreed, as I read the quote from his earlier remarks, it is not right.
Now we have two of the richest men in the world trying to buy America, and they are not only trying to buy Senate seats and House seats, there are votes on secretaries of state around the country, State legislatures. They have far more money than virtually every government and they want to have their view of government be the law: Privatize Social Security, do away with the Internal Revenue Service, and on and on with their money-buying program to convince the American people that the Koch brothers are right.
Mr. President, I would also say this through the Chair to my friend. They not only have all these entities I have talked to you about, they give money to the Chamber of Commerce. I am sure they were their largest contributor. Why? Because the Chamber of Commerce runs ads against us.
I appreciate the question and I would like to go on a little longer but the Republican leader is here.
I will close, but I deeply appreciate my friend who has been such an advocate on the Judiciary Committee and I hope very soon that the full committee reports on that resolution so we can move it on the floor.