The Senate Just Voted to Keep Big Money in Politics. Three Reasons to Celebrate Anyway

The fact that the issue reached the Senate floor is a huge victory for the American people, who overwhelmingly say they want something done about corporate influence in elections. It was no surprise that the Senate’s proposed “Democracy for All” amendment to the constitution did not pass Thursday. It takes 67 votes to pass an amendment in the Senate. So Thursday’s vote of 54 in favor and 42 against spelled defeat. Senators who voted against the amendment will need to explain their actions to their constituents. But the vote represents a giant leap on the road to overturning the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which opened ...