XPost: ba.politics, dc.media, soc.penpals   
   XPost: alt.burningman   
   From: vote10times@asshole.barackosama.the.pos.com   
      
   The Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday began a   
   long-shot bid at a constitutional amendment that would limit   
   deep-pocketed political campaign donors' influence.   
      
   With plenty of politics but very limited prospects of actually   
   changing the Constitution, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid   
   called the free flow of "shady money" into politics the biggest   
   threat to democracy he's seen. His Republican counterpart, Sen.   
   Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, called efforts to limit campaign   
   spending a tactic to rile up Democrats this election year.   
      
   Changing the Constitution is an intentionally difficult process,   
   and leaders from both parties acknowledge that the panel's   
   efforts to prohibit super PACs are likely to result in little   
   more than election-year posturing.   
      
   "Our involvement in government should not be dependent on our   
   bank account balances," Reid told panel members while sitting   
   next to McConnell in a rare joint appearance before a committee.   
      
   Reid, of Nevada, has used his post as the Senate's top lawmaker   
   to aggressively criticize industrialist billionaires Charles and   
   David Koch, who have funneled tens of millions from their   
   personal fortune to a network of conservative organizations.   
   Democrats have bristled at the Kochs' spending. In an apparent   
   reference to corporate campaign spending, some audience members   
   silently held protest signs reading: "Constitutional rights for   
   humans only."   
      
   Even Tuesday, Reid continued to his campaign against the Kochs.   
   "They have all these phantom organizations," Reid said. "They   
   must have 15 different phony organizations that they use to pump   
   money into the system."   
      
   McConnell said he had little patience for the political   
   stagecraft taking place.   
      
   "Everyone on this panel knows this proposal will never pass   
   Congress," McConnell said. "This is a political exercise to stir   
   up one party's political base so they'll show up in November by   
   complaining loudly about certain Americans exercising their free   
   speech and associational rights."   
      
   Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, predicted the Democrats' amendment would   
   allow critics to use the Constitution to ban books and films.   
      
   "Ray Bradbury would be astonished because we are seeing   
   `Fahrenheit 451' Democrats today," Cruz said, invoking the novel   
   about book burning.   
      
   Starting in 2010, the Supreme Court has whittled away at   
   campaign finance laws, first paving the way for super PACs and   
   later empowering the super-wealthy to open their checkbooks for   
   a virtually unlimited number of federal candidates.   
      
   Senate Democrats are trying to reverse those decisions by   
   changing the Constitution in a gambit unlikely to succeed. The   
   proposal would allow Congress and states to set limits on how   
   much money may be raised and spent in political campaigns.   
      
   But it is almost certain to fail. To change the Constitution,   
   two-thirds of the Senate and the House would have to back the   
   measure. Republicans, who generally oppose such a change, have   
   45 seats in the 100-member Senate. Democrats have 53 seats and   
   two political independents caucus with them -- falling short of   
   two-thirds.   
      
   The Republican-controlled House is unlikely to take up the   
   measure.   
      
   The Constitution has been changed only 27 times, including the   
   first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights.   
      
   http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/06/03/democrats-push-   
   election-year-constitution-change/   
      
      ?   
      
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