Thursday, January 21, 2010

Durbin Statement on the Supreme Court's Decision to Overturn Campaign Finance Laws

From the Office of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to overturn a ban on corporate spending on political campaigns.

“Today’s decision by Supreme Court is a triumph for special interest and judicial activism at its worst. Overturning the ban on corporate spending on political campaigns opens the floodgates for the corrupting influence and the dominant hand of special interest groups.”

“At a time when the American people have ample reason to be wary of powerful corporations focused on a selfish agenda, this decision will only fuel feelings of cynicism and distrust in our system. The power of large corporations and special interests is already immense; this decision will put overwhelming pressure on elected officials to bend even more in the direction of Big Business.”

“We must now create a system where we finance campaigns fairly. It is the only way can ensure that our candidates and elected officials focus on addressing the nation’s problems and not on the limited interests of the wealthy and powerful few.”

Durbin is the author of the Fair Elections Now Act – a bill which would create a voluntary system that gives candidates the option to finance their campaigns with small dollar donations plus matching contributions from the Fair Elections Fund.

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