Keep Foreign Nationals Out Of U.S. Elections
By Thom Hartmann A...
The Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint recently with the Federal Election Commission calling for a full investigation and enforcement of the law that bans foreign nationals from spending on U.S. elections.
The complaint comes after The Intercept reported how a U.S. corporation called American Pacific International Capital, Inc gave $1.3 million dollars to the pro-Jeb Bush super PAC "Right to Rise" - despite the fact that the corporation is controlled by Chinese citizens who live in Singapore.
General Counsel for the Campaign Legal Center Larry Noble lamented that "Current FEC rules allowing foreign owned U.S. subsidiaries to spend in our elections, as long as citizens control the contributions, are clearly inadequate to prevent foreign influence."
So what needs to be done to ensure that foreign nationals aren't spending millions to undermine our Democratic process?
Comments
#2
The election of Don Trump will end foreign nationals spending millions to undermine our democratic process. Once elected all global hell will break out. Foreign nationals will wish they had supported the anti- Jeb Bush party! Trump is a Republican every bit as much as the Bush family. They share the same out of control thirst for money and power.
I had a person ask me what I meant the other day when I posted " Mars help us"??? Buzzed sarcasm apparently only works with my like minded buzzed friends. "Mars" was the ancient roman god of war. Mars is obviously the new god of the Teapublic Party....certainly will be under Dangerous Donny anyway. "Mars," the god of war feeds the Fascists with unending wealth and in my strong opinion it will be our undoing just as it was for the western roman empire in the 5th century. Trump is a imminent national security threat. "God help us"
#3
Simple. We need a constitutional amendment clearly stating that corporations are not people, that the Bill of Rights absolutely does not apply to corporations, and that corporations cannot give one red cent to any campaign, full stop. That will remove the ambiguity that corporations hide behind.
#4
Forget about the US as a nation state.
Congress represents monied interests from a around the planet.
And there is very little you can do but complain.
ct
#5
Sombody needs to remind Clinton's campaign officials that the election is in only nine weeks. The media won't pay attention to mld mannered politeness....Trump is an easy target for the heinous person that he is. He's being charged with the rape of a minor and faces felony fraud charges related to his University swindle. He's called for 2nd amendment nuts to shoot Clinton. He doesn't understand why we can't use nuclear weapons....for god sakes is this country totally off it's nut? I'm sticking with the red red wine until the night of the living Trump is over.
#6
Money out of politics. That would take care of many aspects of the challenges to our nation, and address whether or not our nation will will rise out of oligarchy.
#7
Just think of how many elections in Third World countries that the CIA not only influenced but controlled.
#8
I'm hardly a Trump lover, but the Clintons have been responsible for murder. Ok, so you can't directly tie them to all the questionable and unsolved deaths of associates. But why isn't the media covering the deaths of Seth Rich and Shawn Lucas? Rich was even singled out by Julian Assange, suggesting he was the Wikileaks informant for the DNC emails that showed a conspiracy to rig the Democratic primary for Clinton. Do we have any democracy left when the two major candidates for President are despised by the electorate?
#9
End corporate personhood, overturn Citizens United and have public financing of elections.
#10
MisterBe - How?
An american revolution is unthinkable due to general listless indulgence of media bromide
Other ideas might also be fraught due to apathy
Historically, the answer to fascism has always resulted in war
Perhaps that's what they want?
#11
Well this is the plan and its working to give the rights of Democracy to corporations .
A corporation is amoral and is defined by the marketplace .The free market economy is the greatest invention of Humans (some think this) so it makes sense to give those rights to the winners of the market system .Corporations need to live forever that is their purpose is it not ! So self perpetuation seems resonable at any means possible .Even if its a complete threat to actual Natural Human Beings and the Planet which supports and sustains all of us .We have the blind leading the blind .
Money has no right in politics and only the elctorate has the means of financing political parties with a maximum contribution as Rudolph Steiner wrote about over a hundred years ago .(Social Three Folding ).The more people making the final descision the closer to democracy you will have ,needing two-thirds majority to secure the vote .
The Three Spheres of Human culture should all be kept seperate from one another.
Politics, Economy and Cultural life .
Namaste
#12
How are we going to keep foreign national money out of our elections when we can't even keep foreighn nationals from sneaking into this country and working as illegal immigrants?
Overturning Citizens United would be a good measure, although it will be a difficult one to achieve.
It all comes down to the electorate. Those who don't vote, or who only vote by emotion without careful analysis of the candidates, are just as harmful to the system as foreign money.
Too many times elections are boiled down to the candidate that promises "free stuff" to on group of voters versus the candidate that promises to drastically reduce taxes to another group.
Many times elections aren't bought; the electorate simply gave away their votes for simplistic or empty promises.
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I would like contributions for office to come from constituents only. Not businesses, but actual citizens. I.e. Only Californians could contribute to their Senate, House, Mayoral races within the area they are registered to vote. I could not contribute to a San Francusco candidate for mayor because I don't live in SF. Same fir political parties. Money used from their coffers MUST be from actual constituents of the candidate being supported. This would keep the Kochs, Adelsons, Soroses, etc. from buying up Congress or any state other than their own. Presidential races would be open for all citizens as that is countrywide representation.