The political landscape is shifting rapidly. Just last month, the Presidential debate dominated headlines, but recent events have shifted our focus to more urgent issues. This email was originally about last month's Presidential debate in Atlanta, but so much has happened in our political circus since then that it seems irrelevant to the current conversations taking place. However, the intended message remains the same: this election and these recent Supreme Court decisions have laid bare to the average voter the sorry state our so-called democracy finds itself in.
It has become clear that no part of our duopoly, whether Republican or Democrat, is coming to save us from the menace of political corruption and capitalist profiteering. And so, we must come to save ourselves.
Make no mistake; the cracks forming in our political landscape are directly a result of the Court’s ruling in Citizens United but also are part of a bigger, longer history of Supreme Court decisions that have gradually bestowed constitutional rights upon corporations. From Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad in 1886, which granted corporations equal protection under the 14th Amendment, to Buckley v. Valeo in 1976 and beyond, the judiciary has systematically eroded the democratic principle that only natural persons should have constitutional rights. Citizens United was then the tipping point in a much larger, more insidious process of legalized bribery and corporate influence. (Check out the timeline of how corporations have used the legal system to gain constitutional "personhood rights" here.)
Things are the way they are because this system has gamed nearly every elected official with a would-be conscience out of their ability or desire to make positive change. We the American people are left directionless with nothing but corporate, profit-driven rhetoric filling the gaping void of true leadership. Regardless of who actually appears on the ballot this November, you may rest assured knowing that corporate interests and the fascist policies they rely on will thrive at the expense of the average citizen.
So what is to be done? Shall we give up? Shall we roll over and die, waiting on a savior that will never come? Or, rather, shall we take power back from those that would see us and our planet burn so that they may rule over the ashes? I am here to tell you that it will not be easy. We at Move to Amend have long known these days were coming and have long known it is going to take all of us to successfully challenge existing power structures. We, as a people, must individually take responsibility to do everything in our power to subvert our broken, corrupt system and fight back against the rise of fascism.
Right now, the future - not just of this upcoming election, but of our nation as a whole - is uncertain. I cannot tell you who the nominee from each party will be come November, much less who will take office in January. One thing I do know for certain is that the work to make this country better will continue. Move to Amend and its affiliates are too busy building connections and establishing a lasting democracy movement to tarry over the difficulty of our work.
In order to remain effective, however, Move to Amend needs to continue to be physically and spiritually present at as many of these consequential moments in time as we can to help guide the nation towards true democracy and a brighter future. For that, we need your help. As you may guess, this road to a more just future is not lined with gold but with the grassroots efforts of all of us fulfilling our roles and doing what we can to fight corporate political corruption.
With this in mind, consider becoming more involved and helping support Move to Amend's ability to instill this lasting change by volunteering your time or making a donation at movetoamend.org/donate.
In this tenuous time for our democracy, it is important to stay focused. So much is said and done to divert our attention from the simple fact that our ruling class is not beholden to we the people. Now more than ever we need to cast aside the political commonplaces and theatrics that distract us from reality and invest in real, lasting alternatives and solutions. After all, nobody is coming to save us but ourselves - let’s get to it.
