it's sts so i'd like to welcome to the program former senator of wisconsin
author of the book while america sleeps and the founder of progressives united
uh... sarah's feingold sarah thanks so much for joining us
you bet damaged pleasure
uh... the wise i've heard you speak about citizens united
many times and
i know that in the
in our six in l_a_ in the wake of uh... mccain feingold uh... campaign finance
uh... you felt that
campaign finance was at the very least on the right track what
what did citizens united's do
to campaign finance
well you'd be able to uh... both an absolute body blow to the system and
career getting things going
uh... in a very different correctional it's hard for people imagined things
were actually better in our memories are short butted
two thousand six and two thousand eight
we did not have the unlimited contributions to political parties the
so-called soft money that have been so of cropping in the nineteen nineties and
we are rather with mccain feingold
we did a a five twenty seven th running around on some stuff but bigger what
they did was later declared to be illegal
so you know people in large part
current to other democracy to electronica marker see the internet and
we had this
advent of tremendous numbers of smaller contributions that linda
other kind of active is in and we really had the old-line some very different and
better system or more that had begun public financing and so on
but we really was improving and bizarre prine court just threw a correction to
the whole thing with this uh... almost flawless decision
sings it struck me in the in the in the room
ruling on citizens united particularly i think uh... justice kennedy said
almost as a matter of law the idea that
uh... kit at that contributions
do not corrupt
campaigns
tell tell me your thoughts on that
well i don't know where he got that he had no record whatsoever a man this is a
guy who is usually are
careful justice
unlike mccain feingold orient inexpensive record at the core relied on
very carefully
there was no record in this case it'll becky case what about this
and yet he just started making these sweeping assertions about
but corruption was what companies do
you know what he was talking in a bar with somebody overall root beer rather
than anything that was a legal decision so
usually reckless and uh... i think i would
in getting you make me a little embarrassed at this point about what is
sloppy opinion it was
and how just assorted things that are proving elf
that the supreme court but we'll be able it'll specifically talked about the role
in which
the royal of corruption in the appearance corruption uh...
play in our society
and uh... i think almost everybody feels that these unlimited undisclosed
contributions have a tremendous potential for corruption
i've heard you say that these uh... that
this the system is
is less
acutely
it's more appropriate to refer
are to it as extortion then bribery explain what what you meant by that
and this is a correction in some uh...
businesspeople made
tip from a when i was working a mccain feingold mag calling the term legalized
bribery for the system
and we got a lot of support after a while from the bunching c_e_o_'s were
sick and tired of being hit up and they said rushing to talk about legalized
bribery it's really legalized extortion anti-religion right it's not like
corporate c_e_o_'s sit around our office ego
you know i'd like to throw some money around in the political process i'd like
to your were some more money
it works the other way
the politicians call up and asked for the most
our special with the soft money system you know somebody calls up there
t_v_ greg the senators over to the dipper public in committing a democratic
committee so it really is more like an extortion antiwar situation further
people business-like where better to give this money
otherwise maybe my business is going to get her to really has a racket
and uh... we made it a federal crime in terms of soft money
should also be a federal crime in terms of uh...
these independent contributions are truly independent at all
yeah their in
ami work we're talking specifically about this with the corruption of the
electoral process and that's where the extortion happens but
no one's forcing these corporations to spend so much money on lobbying nobody's
forcing them to hire
uh... former chief of staff so
or staffers from someone's office
what could be done
i mean assuming that we are
or at least for the time being until the supreme court revisits days
uh... we are where we're at in terms of elect oral
fine campaign finance for uh... corrupting the electoral process but
what about the legislative process are there things that we can do
on on the side uh... of of dealing with staffers of dealing with a revolving
door read dealing with
the corruption that takes place in a radio tory bodies
by some other means
well yeah i mean first of all of course they actually with the current president
we passed a law zip strength of the lobbying laws but that medium be
stronger
there's this unwritten code in washington that path
legislators rather cop steps can go down to work uh... on k_ street
for huge amount of money even if they don't know much money managers know some
people
and so that quokem period cooling off period revolving door period
could be lengthened but my feeling on this sam
what happens with the uncommitted undisclosed contributions is dead
both parties play this game
and they were just kind of money and there is actually already bought off by
the time they'd get support it
and so yeah sure they're gonna lobby sure they're going to use these
techniques but
you won't even have people that are independent to try to uh... uh... these
rules of the or relate to by if you don't have change in the citizens united
but yes there's all kinds of things i think you can do to try to limit the so
i do believe people have a right to love the in the first amendment
uh... but that doesn't mean it can't be pulled is quoted and limitations on
other unholy connection between those an office and and when they leave office
the s_e_c_ uh... on friday voted to uh... require broadcasters to disclose
just how much money they're getting from these uh...
political campaigns and it it it
when we see hundreds of millions of dollars billions of dollars uh... being
raised
much of that money ends up on broadcast radio or television
in the form of advertising is there any way in which
we can curb it from that and other words we have restrictions with license these
uh... entities is there any way that we can simply say there's only so much
advertising you can present
well i'm really pleased at the s_e_c_ did and it's just long overdue notice is
the part of the story that is not
not being told we know that
politicians are involved in the some limited spending we note that we hear
about the people that give the money but where's the money going and violators
income related about the aren't huge benefit at the coast of these
broadcasters of this crop system
so this is the first step i think other steps can be taken as well the original
mccain feingold bill required that
broadcasters to fifty percent uh... off on television time
uh... it somebody agreed to public financing so as part of a public
financing system we can at least create
a mechanism were through the government bs cat people have to give lower rates
there are other regulations about
what can be charged what can't be tired and there's more opportunity for that as
well
and and and tell me just to sort of the at broader perspective
citizens united is
perhaps in may be maybe a the affordable care
are
are seem to be the first two cases
maybe since bush beat gore that
the left is paid any attention to
uh... or anything or east attention to the
the supreme court in the relevance of our courts in our system
where we would you place this court relative to up ask courts in king
do you see uh...
and the waiting on the left of the relevance of the court
well just beginning i mean internists to some of the decisions after on nine
eleven the supreme court didn't do the right side
on some civil liberties decision by not letting extreme executive pot or go
forward and kennedy and others were we're good on that so in that area
the court has been uh... before these last two justices came on anyway
someone of the pushed back an extreme executive power
but you're right
with regard to
legislation major legislation such as mccain papa unoccupied go but um...
the uh... almanac actually and with regard to the health care bill
uh... the court is starting to act like a partisan legislator
and uh... i think that's a very damaging in progress is need to take a look at
this you know progress of the course of been
grateful for the fact that the course tote up for individual rights and
and over the years isn't in some of the other dissident of the major such as
brown v_ board
we have to remember that if it becomes a partition body
where people just vote according to a what
the what president party that the pointed them
it destroys the credibility of the court i think the
everyone in the country not just the left
uh... but including left is awaiting the fact that in a lot of ways escort
doesn't seem to be on the level
which is not only dangerous for the court it's dangerous for democracy
because we need a legitimate court
it is perceived as being on the level and i think that they are really at the
precipice of
serious trouble if they knock down this ah... health care line
as president bomber done enough do you think uh...
to fill the lower courts i mean i know there's been a tremendous amount of
obstruction
by the republicans and
uh... dino that's gotta be
particularly
uh... offensive to your sensibilities because i think in many respects um...
you uh... you held the the right of a president to uh...
uh... nominating appoint justices
as uh... uh... as as sacrosanct in many respects when you were uh... dilisio
this have to be a stupid you'd have to be taken up
but if you not print
molester weeks of a lot of people really concerned about this and of course he's
being obstructed
but it's got to be a higher priority because he cannot miss the opportunity
to undo the extreme approach
of republican presidents for decades of trying to fill the courts with very
young very conservative federalist society people that's how you end up
with a partisan court so it's extremely important that the president intensifies
efforts on this and
cash in some ships to get these judges threw and and i've heard you say that
you know uh... and uh... i know that your uh... a at campaign co-chair of
uh... president obama's
and i've heard you say that you know at the very least ah... the supreme court
is is a the huge reason
uh... to vote for
or president obama but
you your sense of
of how he's been impacted
by uh... you know he's had to start his own uh... super pack
um... how do you think that
his administration in in just over since citizens united is past has been
effected
by this
need to go out and raise
hundreds of millions of dollars in these corporations
well i i don't believe he had to do this senate hearing on the campaign co-chair
think the should have done just the opposite which is to not go down this
road i think it's
damaging for his reputation damaging for the democratic party but surely the
advent of these huge contributions had an impact in twenty ten and helping the
tea party i get its way into election and and and and do such damage to create
a
that only a republican house you know it's one thing but a republican house
whose mission was to make sure he got absolutely nothing done
and now it's affecting up to the presidential race the the the
possibility of unlimited money coming as a way of scared
the white house into going down this road that i think it makes it tarnishes
the when the president image
and so it is having it at a negative impact there and i
hope that he moves away from it as much as possible
so if i don't think so much for taking the time i know your uh... your very
best appreciate you taking the time
i look forward again and program
well uh... we don't have to be arranged appreciated will do it west's