So how many ways are there to de-contaminate the political process by completely removing corporate money? Not many. But this is not the time to give up. One way, though obviously quite difficult, would be through a well-constructed Constitutional Amendment. That could actually be accomplished but here's the difficulty involved. A Constitutional Amendment would have to originate in the Congress, and pass with a 2/3 majority in both the House and Senate. It would then be referred to the states where it would need the approval of - of the state legislatures. A Constitutional Convention can also be called by 2/3 of the legislatures of the states.
Amending the Constitution is not an impossible task since it has been done 17 times for a total of 27 amendments since its inception in 1787. But given the extremely divisive relationship between Democrats and Republicans in both the Congress and state legislatures, it would be a very difficult undertaking. So that method to rid politics of corporate involvement probably isn't the best available option right now.
A second way to get it done would involve the members of the Congress finally deciding to enact strong, comprehensive legislation that would mandate taxpayer funds for all national congressional and presidential elections. It would make it illegal for any corporation to provide funds for any candidate in any national election. The only problem in this scenario is that this would be like asking a group of hopeless heroin addicts to contribute ideas on how to wage a war on drugs.
And here is the third and, perhaps, the only logical way to get it done. Right now there are several Supreme Court justices who are getting up in their years and nearing retirement. This Court has been called by some as the judicial division of the GOP -- but that could change if Barack Obama is elected to a second term. If that happens, then he will most probably have the opportunity to appoint one or even two new justices that would immediately alter the current unbreakable 5 to 4 Republican advantage. It would be highly likely that, before long, a case would come before that Court that would present a challenge to the previous disastrous decision in the Citizens United case and this newly reconstituted Supreme Court could then reverse it.
If that happens the American people could see the beginning of a process by which the money, power and influence of Corporate America would be flushed out of the political system and out of the halls of Congress. When corporate money is removed from the Congress and the members of that legislative body have been cured of their terrible mind-controlling addiction, then a great opportunity will be opened to have them finally work together in order to take America in new directions.
That's when those great breaking news headlines will begin to appear and all the waiting and hoping for change to come to America will be rewarded. This can happen; in fact, it must happen.
Michael Payne
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