Unless everyone can speak equally, all must be silenced equally.
That seems to be the thinking behind the latest push for campaign finance restrictions, which would limit all Americans’ First Amendment rights to impose controls on how much money can be given to candidates for office.
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee last week approved a resolution that’s a first step toward a possible constitutional amendment removing First Amendment protections from campaign contributions.
The first line of the amendment says its purpose is “to advance the fundamental principle of political equality for all, and to protect the integrity of the legislative and electoral processes.”
It goes on to say both the federal government and state governments would be allowed “to regulate the raising and spending of money and in-kind equivalents.”
“Our elections no longer focus on the best ideas, but the biggest bank accounts, and Americans’ right to free speech should not be determined by their net worth,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, who sponsored the resolution.
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