The Senate will vote on Sen. Tom Udall's constitutional amendment to reverse U.S. Supreme Court rulings that prevent limitations on campaign spending, campaign contributions and independent group spending. That's
the word from Sen. Chuck Schumer, chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee which is holding hearings on "dark money."
The amendment would roll back the 2010 Citizens United and 2014 McCutcheon rulings by re-instituting the power of Congress to pass legislation limiting campaign contributions and expenditures. In particular, this change would reverse a part of the court's 1976 Buckley v. Valeo ruling that upheld the original Federal Election Campaign Act's limits on campaign contributions, but struck down the act's limits on campaign spending.
"We have to bring some balance to our political system," Schumer said. […]
"Elections have become more about the quantity of cash and less about the quality of ideas," Udall said.
The hurdle for a constitutional amendment is a high one, obviously. But the effort needs to start somewhere, and a vote in the Senate is a pretty good place for that. With a Supreme Court committed to letting big money have its way in our political system, a constitutional amendment is the only option to bring the authority of campaign spending regulation back to the states and the people.