Tennessee Republican Bill Kowtows To Corporate Special Interests
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2010
Republican Bill Kowtows To Corporate Special Interests
NASHVILLE - Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester said a bill filed by state Rep. Glen Casada to repeal state law prohibiting corporations from making donations to candidates for office is proof that Republicans care more about Big Oil and Wall Street than they do ordinary people.
“Mr. Casada is part of the Republican leadership over at the General Assembly who will stop at nothing to ensure they remain in power,” Forrester said. “Special-interest groups have too much influence as it is now with our political leaders.
“Just watch what happens if the Republicans in control of the legislature get this bill passed into law. Politicians like Casada and state Sen. Ron Ramsey will be pushing one another over to try and get a drink from the corporate money spigot. The ordinary Tennessean will be washed right out of the process.”
Casada reportedly said he filed his bill, HB2537, in anticipation of yesterday’s (Thursday, Jan. 21) ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court concerning a 63-year-old campaign finance law designed to restrain corporate and special-interest influence. By a 5-4 vote, the court ruled that corporations may spend as freely as they like to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress.
Tennessee law prohibits corporations from giving money to candidates and political parties for any purpose. Legal experts have opined the Supreme Court ruling threatens similar limits imposed by states such as Tennessee.
“Republicans here in Tennessee have already delayed a law intended to provide more fair and accurate elections,” Forrester said. “And they have unjustly fired a bunch of county election administrators just because they were perceived to be Democrats.”
Senate Republicans last week delayed implementation of the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act, which requires all county election commissions to make the switch to optical scan machines and paper ballots before the November 2010 elections. About $35 million in federal funds had been set aside to purchase the machines and train workers on them.
In addition, a federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the ousted election administrators, contending Republicans violated their constitutional rights by conspiring to treat their jobs as political patronage. The federal suit coincides with several other pending lawsuits filed in state chancery courts by individual county election administrators who were fired.
“Enough is enough,” Forrester said. “Our government should be fighting to put ordinary Tennesseans back to work, not proposing laws to drown out our voices.”
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Contact: Keith Talley
TNDP Communications Director
615-327-9779 (office)
[email protected]