C4

Activist Resources for the Two-Year Anniversary of Citizens United v. FEC

Americans are taking to the streets and standing up to corporate greed and injustice. Here are some tools to help.

Sign Up to Host a House Party

On November 9, 2011, PFAW and our allies at Public Citizen are mobilizing activists across the country to host organizing house parties in preparation for the January 21 day of action, marking the two-year anniversary of Citizens United v. FEC.

Republican Candidates Declare War on Judicial Branch

Last week, we sounded an alarm about the radical plan to cripple the federal judiciary that Newt Gingrich has been pushing. He is not alone in his grudge against the judicial branch. Anti-judiciary theories are blossoming anew in the Tea Party and taking firm root in the GOP presidential primary.

Senate Confirms Bissoon, PFAW Urges Prompt Consideration of Remaining Nominees

The Senate last night voted overwhelmingly to confirm Cathy Bissoon as a United States District Court Judge in Pennsylvania, leaving 26 judicial nominees awaiting votes from the full Senate.

Dump DOMA

It’s time for some real change we can believe in. It’s time for the federal government to stop punishing loving same-sex couples. It’s time to repeal DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act).

Tell Mitt Romney: Corporations are NOT people!

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney told an Iowa audience, “Corporations are people.” Take action and tell Romney that he could not be more wrong. Corporations are NOT people. People are people.

Take Action

PFAW Commends Movement on DOMA Repeal

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) announced today that he intends to bring the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), before his committee for a vote in November.

House Republicans Push Dangerous Social Agenda

People For the American Way criticized the House for passing H.R. 358 yesterday, which seriously endangers women’s health. This bill would take away abortion coverage for those who already have it, prevent others from obtaining coverage even through private insurance and give states the power to make private medical decisions.

PFAW Applauds Progress on Judicial Nominations, Urges Senate to Vote on Remaining Nominees

The Senate Judiciary Committee today reported out five new judicial nominees and the Senate confirmed three, bringing to 27 the total number of nominees still waiting for a vote from the full Senate. This puts the nominations backlog back to where it was last month before Majority Leader Harry Reid pushed through votes on ten nominees who received broad bipartisan support.

“Senator Reid took an important step last month when he stood up to Republican obstructionism and pressured the Senate to confirm ten highly qualified judicial nominees,” said Marge Baker of People For the American Way. “Unfortunately, since then the nominations backlog has returned to its previous size. The Senate should make it a priority to completely clear the current nominations backlog. Holding a vote on all 27 nominees currently on the calendar would provide desperately needed assistance to strained courts throughout the country and demonstrate Congress’s ability to do its job.

“Senate Republicans have made a habit of delaying President Obama’s judicial nominees hostage for as long as possible. This obstructionism is bad for the American people, who depend on both an efficient justice system and an effective legislature. It’s time for the Senate to do its job and hold votes on these 27 nominees.”

###

PFAW Calls on Romney to Apply Religious Bigotry Standard to his Own Endorsers

At a news conference, Mitt Romney urged Texas Gov. Rick Perry to disavow the remarks of his endorser Robert Jeffress, a Religious Right leader who has called Mormonism a "cult." People For the American Way today echoed Romney’s appeal to Perry, but also urged both candidates to disavow endorsers who have perpetuated misinformation about and fear of American Muslims.

Gingrich’s Radical Plan to Weaken the Judiciary

At this weekend’s Values Voter Summit, and again on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, former House speaker and presidential candidate Newt Gingrich stated that as president, he would urge Congress to subpoena federal judges whose decisions he disagreed with and even ignore Supreme Court rulings that he believes are wrong.

Mitt Romney (Kind of) Stands up to Fischer's Bigotry

Facing pressure from PFAW and others, Mitt Romney began to distance himself from the bigotry of Bryan Fischer

Who’s Who at the Values Voter Summit: A Guide to the Anti-Gay, Anti-Muslim, Anti-Mormon, Anti-Choice Activists Spending the Weekend with the GOP

This weekend, nearly every major GOP presidential candidate, along with the top two Republicans in the House of Representatives, will speak at the Values Voter Summit, an annual gathering of the leaders of the Religious Right movement to integrate fundamentalist Christianity and American politics.

Congresswoman Donna Edwards Introduces Constitutional Amendment To Reverse Citizens United

Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD) and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) introduced a constitutional amendment that would restore to Congress and the states the authority to regulate corporate spending on political activity, including contributions in support of or in opposition to a candidate for public office. This proposed amendment seeks to overturn the Supreme Court’s deeply flawed decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which granted corporations the same Free Speech rights as people to spend money to influence elections. The amendment is similar to one introduced in the last Congress, and was introduced with the support of 14 other co-sponsors.

“We applaud this bold step by Representatives Edwards and Conyers to place limits on the corporate spending on elections which is hurtling out of control. It is time that we take down the for sale sign on our democracy and constitutional remedies such as that proposed by Representatives Edwards and Conyers are the only meaningful way to do that,” said Marge Baker, executive vice president at People For the American Way. “Reversing the damage caused by Citizens United is absolutely crucial to making sure that the American people – and not the deepest-pocketed corporations – hold the keys to our democracy. The pro-corporate Supreme Court is taking us down a slippery slope, and it’s time for bold steps to preserve the democratic promise of government by the people.”

###

Romney to Share Stage with Bryan Fischer; PFAW Urges Candidates to Denounce Bigotry

At next week's Values Voter Summit, Mitt Romney is scheduled to take the stage immediately before Bryan Fischer, an American Family Association (AFA) spokesman with a long and shocking record of bigotry against gays and lesbians, American Muslims, Native Americans and other minority groups. Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain and Rick Santorum are also scheduled to speak at the event, which is sponsored by the anti-gay Family Research Council, the AFA, and other Religious Right groups. PFAW is urging these candidates for our nation's highest office to condemn bigotry.

Pressure Begins to Yield Results as Senate Takes Steps to Confirm 10 Judicial Nominees

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced last night that agreement had been reached for the Senate to consider ten of President Obama’s judicial nominees over the next two weeks as part of a time agreement made with Senate Republicans. The move comes after months of Republican delay and obstruction created a backlog of 27 judicial nominees waiting for votes on the Senate floor. The vast majority of those nominees faced no opposition in the Judiciary Committee and had the support of their home state senators.

Romney Still Thinks Corporations are People. They Still Aren’t.

Campaigning in Florida today, Mitt Romney doubled down on his claim that “corporations are people.”

“I was in Iowa the other day, and people suggested that we just raise taxes on corporations,” Romney said, according to Politico. “I told them, corporations are people…Raising taxes on corporations is raising taxes on people.”

PFAW: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is History, But There’s More Work to Do

People For the American Way celebrates the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

PFAW to Senate GOP: Leave DC alone

Today, as the Senate Appropriations Committee prepares to mark up the spending bill for Washington, DC, People For the American Way urges lawmakers to reject any attempt to force unwanted policy riders onto DC residents. T

Corporate Infusion: What the Tea Party’s Really Serving America

Today, PFAW Foundation joined the Constitutional Accountability Center and Center for American Progress to launch an effort called Constitutional Progressives, to reclaim the Constitution and combat many of the constitutional falsehoods and distortions being promoted by the Right, and especially the Tea Party. It's a good time to revisit our report about the Tea Party's misunderstanding of the Constitution, "Corporate Infusion: What the Tea Party’s Really Serving America," as well as PFAW Foundation's report, "Rise of the Corporate Court."

Share this page:

Donate Now

Stay Informed

C4