In recent days many radical liberals have changed their tune regarding campaign finance laws. The drumbeat of the past two years has begun to shift. President Obama is no longer assaulting Citizens United or Super PACs, instead he is encouraging his supporters to open their check books. Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer now believes that “I think as a First Amendment principle, Citizens United was correct.” Even veteran Washington Post and Newsweek scribe, Robert J. Samuelson has declared “Except for contribution disclosures, campaign finance laws should be scrapped.” 

Unsurprisingly, the only ones still trying to rein in the First Amendment are those interested in silencing all other voices but their own. Whether they be incumbent elected officials (for example, a certain liberal congressman from Maryland or justices on the Montana Supreme Court), or media corporations like the Washington Post seeking a monopoly on political speech. Why is their speech more worthy of protection than others? 

Two prolific fundraisers, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) led the fight to curtail independent speech with their 2010 legislation, the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (“DISCLOSE Act”). According to Schumer and Van Hollen’s latest FEC disclosures they have $10 million and $1.9 million cash on hand respectively. They have the means to engage in political speech, but would rather their opponents be left without sufficient resources to respond. 

Read more at Politico here.  

Super PACS have contributed millions of dollars to shape the 2012 presidential election. The "Citizens United" Supreme Court case paved the way for them. David Bossie, president of the conservative advocacy group Citizens United, speaks with host Michel Martin about how Super PACS could even the playing field. 
 

Click here to listen to the interview. 

In the name of protecting his fundraising juggernaut, President Obama has reneged on campaign finance promises that he knew full well he would not keep.  Back in 2008, after stating repeatedly that he would abide by the public finance system, then-candidate Barack Obama reversed himself in favor of raising unlimited private money, setting new fundraising records.  Now in 2012, President Obama is flip-flopping on Super PACs, the federal PACs that only make independent expenditures in support of or in opposition to candidates. 

Over the last two years President Obama has been criticizing the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision – even lecturing the Justices seated in front of him during his 2010 State of the Union Speech.  In the run up to the 2010 mid-term elections, President Obama made the Citizens United decision an issue in the campaign on a daily basis.  In his criticism, the president sought to demonize Citizens United, even calling it a “threat to our democracy.” 

It is President Obama’s policies that threaten democracy, not the Citizens United decision.  The government takeover of health care, unaccountable czars, and unconstitutional recess appointments are but a few examples of Obama’s disregard for our republican system of government. President Obama and his policies are a threat to our democratic republic and the First Amendment rights reinstated via Citizens United are the antidote to his bully pulpit. With political speech freed once again, the American people thoroughly rejected President Obama’s arguments by electing a Republican controlled House of Representatives in 2010.  

Read more at Cagle here.  

President Obama’s flip-flop on Super PACs reeks of hypocrisy. He spent the last two years criticizing the decision - even lecturing the Supreme Court during his 2010 State of the Union Speech. Now, President Obama and his $1 billion campaign are fully embracing it. 

The White House launched a campaign to demonize Citizens United, even calling it a “threat to our democracy.” President Obama’s policies are what threaten our democracy, not the Citizens United decision. Socializing medicine, czars, and unconstitutional recess appointments are but a few examples of Obama’s disregard for our republic. President Obama and his polices are a threat to democracy and the First Amendment right reinstated via Citizens United is the antidote. 

Read more at Politico here.  

A frequent criticism of the Conservative Political Action Conference is its supposed lack of attention to pro-life issues. However, by the second day of the event, which draws over 11,000 conservative activists, it was clear right to life issues were not forgotten by key speakers or lost on attendees.



Friday kicked off with pro-life Governor Mike Huckabee, who also attended CPAC in order to attend a screening of his documentary “The Gift of Life.”


Following the film, a panel featured pro-life leaders, which gathered to discuss current pro-life issues The panel, moderated by Lila Rose, included Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life, Charmaine Yoest, President of Americans United for Life, Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director of Students for Life of America and pro-life speaker Rebecca Kiessling.



The panel delved into issues ranging from Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood to the recent fight over conscience rights. The headline of the discussion was “Advancing the Pro-Life Movement in the Media” and each of the speakers commented on the importance of using social media to share the pro-life message. Outlets like Facebook and Twitter give pro-life advocates the chance to operate outside of the restraints of the biased mainstream media. This technology gives pro-lifers the chance to engage their peers and share the truth about abortion across a wider network than ever before.


Read more  here  

Rebecca Kiessling is a wife and mother of five, plus an attorney who testifies before state legislatures for Personhood USA, a group seeking to protect all unborn persons with legal declarations of personhood in answer to Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun’s opinion of Roe v. Wade. She’s featured in the new Citizens United DVD “The Gift of Life,” which is narrated by Mike Huckabee.


A screening of “Gift” was held in Iowa prior to the caucuses, and all of the GOP candidates were invited. Yet only four attended: Rep. Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Gov. Rick Perry and Rick Santorum. Kiessling had a backstage pass and used it to thank Bachmann and Santorum for being “100-percent pro-life.” She also used it to question Perry and Gingrich on why they thought abortion is acceptable for unborn babies conceived during rape and incest.

Read more  here  

101 years ago today, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois.  Ronald Reagan was – and still is – the heart of the modern day conservative movement.  President Reagan saw America as a special place, “a shining city on a hill,” and a beacon of freedom for the rest of the world.  Many in today’s conservative movement owe a great deal to the man who did not shy away from the conservative fight. 

In 2009, Citizens United Productions produced a documentary called Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous With Destiny, hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich.  The film is a feature length documentary that focuses on the three pillars of the Reagan presidency: reviving the American economy, restoring America’s spirit, and challenging the oppression of the Soviet Union. Through interviews with historians, cabinet members, and world leaders, the film examines and celebrates the Great Communicator and his legacy.  

Featuring exclusive interviews with former Presidents Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic and Lech Walesa of Poland, along with Reagan Cabinet and staff members including James Baker, Edwin Meese, Marlin Fitzwater, Richard Perle, William Bennett, and the late Jack Kemp, Rendezvous With Destiny is President Reagan’s story as told by the people who were with him on the front lines of the Reagan Revolution.  

Read more at Cagle Post here. 

It’s not Susan G. Komen for the Cure putting women’s lives at risk, but Planned Parenthood. 

Planned Parenthood is trying to fan the flames of a culture war to distract from the serious allegations being investigated in Congress that led to Komen for the Cure’s decision.  Former Planned Parenthood workers have pledged to testify that the company has: failed to report the sexual abuse of minors, given women inaccurate and misleading information, and fraudulently mishandled state and federal taxpayer funds.  Some of these allegations were exposed by "The Gift Of Life" cast member Lila Rose and her group Live Action. 

Last week the United States Senate passed a dubious milestone and fittingly it came on the day President Obama gave his State of the Union address.  January 24th marked the 1,000th day since the Harry Reid Senate last passed a federal budget.  Families across America sit around their kitchen tables and work on their budgets.  The key to any small business success in America is to follow a budget.  But when it comes to passing a budget, our elected leaders in the Senate are incompetent.  It is unconscionable that the Senate refuses to do the people’s work and pass a budget that will not bankrupt the country.  Where is the outrage from the American people? 

We are a nation that is over $15 trillion in debt and the greatest deliberative body on the planet cannot produce any budget at all good or bad for the American people.  Most of the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.  Last spring Harry Reid said about the 2012 budget process, “There’s no need to have a Democratic budget in my opinion. It would be foolish for us to do a budget at this stage.”  Senator Reid is the poster child for what is wrong with Washington.  Reid’s irrational statement about the budget process last year is why he has a 23 percent approval rating – the lowest among all Congressional leaders. 

The truth is Senator Reid does not want to develop a budget for the American people because he does not want Democrat members of the Senate to take tough votes that will set their core liberal constituencies’ heads on fire.  Our national debt has grown to unprecedented levels. The credit agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded America’s credit rating for the first time in history last summer.  We are truly in a crisis and tough decisions need to be made by our leaders.  However, Senate Democrats lack the courage to make those tough decisions because of failed leadership from the top. 

Read more at Cagle here.  

Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is  being held from February 9 – 11 and we are proud to announce that  Citizens United, the nation's premier conservative filmmaker, will once   again be sponsoring the CPAC Theater and Film Festival throughout the   weekend. All screenings are free of charge to   CPAC attendees, and will be held in the Thurgood Marshall South Ballroom of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.
Please find more information at our page CitizensUnited.org/CPAC

Citizens United CPAC Theater Schedule 2012