Two events this week have made the fight to save democracy from big money, already an uphill battle, even harder.
In Washington, DC the Supreme Court struck down overall contribution limits on how much individual donors can give to candidates, parties and PACs. In New York State’s annual budget, Governor Cuomo and legislators killed a commission investigating political corruption, failed to pass campaign finance reform and gave tax breaks to the rich.
In this clip, Bill offers his initial reactions to this week’s events: “The prevailing myth in America has been that the rich have a right to buy more homes, more cars, more gizmos, vacations and leisure. But they don’t have the right to buy more democracy. The Supreme Court has just laid that myth to rest, and the new gilded age roars in triumph.”
“We the people should not cower or give in to despair; those restaurant workers aren’t quitting,” Bill adds, referring to his earlier interview with Saru Jayaraman, who spoke about food workers fighting back to earn a living wage.
Segment Producer: Rob Booth. Editor: Rob Kuhns.