PLEDGE TO AMEND CAMPAIGN

            THE PLEDGE TO AMEND CAMPAIGN

  TAKING BACK AMERICA FOR THE PEOPLE

The purpose of the Pledge to Amend campaign is threefold:

1) To inform the public about the critical need to Take Back America for the People by getting special interest money out of elections and ending corporate constitutional "rights."  

2) To educate the public about how to pass a constitutional amendment that will be a critical step toward democracy in the US and the world. 

3) To elect candidates for Congress and state legislatures who demonstrate willingness to serve We the People by making support for a strong constitutional amendment a central issue in their campaigns.


FOR A COMPARISON OF AMENDMENTS CLICK HERE.

PLEDGE TO AMEND

MAKING AN AMENDMENT A CAMPAIGN ISSUE

 

To achieve democracy in the United States, we must first make candidates for Congress and state legislatures prove they will put our interests over those of the plutocracy by making them pledge to support an amendment that will at a minimum:

 

1) Ban corporate campaign expenditures.
2) Empower Congress to limit individual campaign expenditures.
3) Abolish corporate constitutional "rights."


HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP MAKE POLITICIANS ACCOUNTABLE:
1)  Organize groups locally to attend campaign events. Ask all candidates for Congress and state legislatures to make a public pledge to support such an amendment. Frame your questions to educate the audience on the issues of corporate constitutional rights (corporate personhood) and campaign finance.

2)  In private and in public, educate politicians and voters of the need for an amendment to strip corporations of their key tool to influence elections. It is not enough to give Congress power to regulate what should be illegal. Corporate campaign expenditures can and should be banned outright.

3)  Encourage local activist groups to join this effort. All progress toward social justice, environmental responsibility and general prosperity depend on all of us working to end corporate influence over the US government. 

4) Get political, social, church or other groups to pass resolutions, write letters to the editor and otherwise call on their members of Congress and state legislators to make a pledge.

PLEDGE TO AMEND: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Pledge to Amend (PTA)?

PTA is a campaign to make members of and candidates for Congress take a stand in favor of a constitutional amendment ending corporate constitutional rights (corporate personhood) and establishing that money spent to influence elections is not protected speech. 

Why is it so important to abolish corporate personhood?

Many Supreme Court decisions, including those overturning campaign finance reform, have been based on an activist Supreme Court’s creation of the doctrine that corporations are people with constitutional rights. Among many other consequences, this has led to foreign money being spent to elect candidates who will serve the interests of Saudi oil barons.

Why target just corporations? What about unions?

Unions and nonprofits are also corporations and would be included in this amendment. The point is to end the ability of any corporation, including unions, to contribute general funds to influence the outcome of campaigns. There are no proposals in Congress to date that would eliminate the right of individuals who choose to pool their money to form political action committees set up for the purpose of influencing campaign debates.

Why an amendment instead of legislation?

The Supreme Court has been systematically undermining campaign finance reform with rulings such as Citizens United. It cannot strike down a constitutional amendment.

How can we pass an amendment cutting off campaign funding for those who have to support it? 

That is the whole point of Pledge to Amend. As the campaign gains momentum over several election cycles, it can become a litmus test for anyone seeking election to Congress.

How can we elect a Congress that will pass it by just working at the state level to elect members who will put our interests over those of well-financed donors?

We are organizing quickly in Oregon and expect to go national after PTA gets into full gear.

Won’t this take years?

Yes. How long will depend on how hard we work to get national organizations to promote it.  It will take a grassroots effort to pass an amendment a majority of Americans already support.

SEE CANDIDATES WHO MADE A WRITTEN PLEDGE TO AMEND IN 2012 AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS  WHO HAVE  SPONSORED OR ENDORSED AMENDMENTS INTENDED TO ABOLISH CORPORATE PERSONHOOD AND/OR DECLARE THAT MONEY IS NOT FREE SPEECH.