Right now we're headed for a perfect storm: An unprecedented concentration of income and wealth at the top, a record amount of secret money flooding our democracy, and a public in the aftershock of the Great Recession becoming increasingly angry and cynical about government. The three are obviously related.
We must act. We need a movement to take back our democracy. (If tea partiers were true to their principles, they'd join it.) As Martin Luther King once said, the greatest tragedy is "not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."
What can you do?
1. Read Justice Steven's dissent in the Citizens United case, so you're fully informed about the majority's pernicious illogic.
2. Use every opportunity to speak out against this decision, and embarrass and condemn the right-wing Justices who supported it.
3. In this and subsequent elections, back candidates for congress and president who vow to put Justices on the Court who will reverse it.
4. Demand that the IRS enforce the law and pull the plug on Karl Rove and other sham nonprofits.
5. If you have a Republican senator, insist that he or she support the Disclose Act. If they won't, campaign against them.
6. Support public financing of elections.
7. Join an organization like Common Cause, that's committed to doing all this and getting big money out of politics. (Personal note: I'm so outraged at what's happening that I just became chairman of Common Cause.)
8. Send this post to your friends (including any tea partiers you may know).
Robert Reich is the author of Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future, now in bookstores. This post originally appeared at RobertReich.org.
[XE here: for your convenience, if you want more information about Common Cause or how to join, Common Cause's weblink has a tab at the upper right "Join Common Cause."
Justice Stevens' Dissent, complete text
Like you, I am overwhelmed by what seems to be ahead. Unlike you, my place of residence is now far from the red hot source--Congress & media.
ReplyDeleteBut, even though Oregon has two excellent Democrats in the Senate--both of whom I believe will be re-elected--a jock of no merit is the insult the Repubs have tossed up for Governor here. He is so stupid and without intelligence and backed by so much money that he might be a candidate for President in 2012. I.E., Dudley may be even lamer than the known ones, a more useful puppet for the right.
We have to hang in, be more positive about Obama, demand of the media MORE about legislators who make sense, programs we may lose, and far LESS about the sour crazies who've come forward in the last year.
Voting started yesterday and I have my fingers crossed. There are so many candidates running this time that are absolute idiots that it does not speak well for the politics in the U. S. Other countries must think we are a country of Neanderthals. I hope the outcome of this election proves them wrong. If not, God help us.
ReplyDelete(My captcha for this blog is 'coots'. As in 'old'?)
I have to educate myself on this - thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteThe D.N.
Thanks for the heads up on this issue.
ReplyDeleteAlso, read about that Oregon Gov. candidate in L. A. Times earlier today. Unbelievable!
We have some 'winners' in Calif. for Gov., Senate and House, too. Who knows what will happen here between now and Nov. election day.