You could buy a whole lot of Chunky Monkey with the amount of corporate money pumped into American politics, and though it�ll be a Rocky Road, Citizens United has to be appealed.



That�s the message Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry�s is bringing to Worcester this weekend � hopefully with less puns and more actual ice cream.



The Supreme Court decision, he said, puts power into the hands of the rich and powerful, while compromising the fairness of the democratic system.



�If our politicians were not controlled by the legalized bribery that is coming their way, we would really have a government by the people, for the people,� said Cohen.



But today, he said, it�s government of the corporations, by the corporations, for the corporations.



Working with the group People Govern, Not Money, Cohen is stopping in the city Saturday, Nov. 4 as part of a signature-gathering tour around the state. The aim is to energize enough volunteers to collect about enough signatures for a ballot question on the Citizens United Supreme Court decision. The organization needs to gather over 90,000 signatures by Nov. 22 to place this initiative on the 2018 ballot in Massachusetts and the effort is in its final push. They�ve already collected 61,000, and need 29,000 more, according to a tally on the website.



The Worcester meeting takes place noon Saturday at the Ballot Box,11 Kelley Square. The event is open to the public. Cohen is also stopping in Pittsfield and Boston.



Earlier this month, Attorney General Maura Healey certified the People Govern, Not Money ballot initiative petition. The initiative, if passed, would establish a state commission focused on a new amendment that would repeal the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which Cohen and others have decried as a corrupting force in American democracy.



The aim of the organization is a 28th Amendment that would permanently overturn the Citizens United decision, and put in its place a cap on corporate spending in elections.



The 5-4 decision in Citizens United vs the Federal Election Commission dictated that campaign spending fell under freedom of speech protection. The decision effectively repealed campaign contribution caps that restricted spending, and has since led to unprecedented fundraising numbers in presidential elections via organizations called Super PACs, or political action committees.



Since its passage, the decision has remained a political flash point across the country. In Massachusetts, officials have been especially critical. In 2012 and again in 2014, the state Legislature passed resolutions supporting the 28th Amendment and calling on the U.S. Congress to pass the amendment and send it to the states for ratification. More than 150 cities and towns in Massachusetts have likewise passed such resolutions. Versions of the 28th Amendment to overturn Citizens United have more than 40 cosponsors in the U.S. Senate and 150 cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives.



The citizen commission proposed by Cohen�s ballot initiative would provide information about the influence of money in Massachusetts politics, recommend language for a potential constitutional amendment, and prepare Massachusetts to ratify the amendment if and when it is passed by Congress.



Ben Cohen�s role, as he sees it, is turning out volunteers, one state at a time.



�I�m doing everything I can to support the work that these amazing volunteers are doing in Massachusetts because we just need to win this state by state,� he said. �Massachusetts is now ground zero for getting money out of politics in our country.�



Through the interview, Cohen, a New York native who based his career in Burlington, Vt., often said things that bore a resemblance to the message of another New York transplant in Vermont: Bernie Sanders.



Sanders railed against big money in politics during his presidential campaign and employed a donation system that averaged out to little under $30 per donor.



�I was a big supporter of Bernie. I was very active in his campaign for president. I�ve been a big supporter of Bernie since he ran for mayor in Burlington probably 30 or 40 years ago,� said Cohen. �He understands that this is the basic issue.�



Cohen�s approach to his political activism is two-fold. He also heads up the Stamp Stampede campaign, which encourages people to stamp paper money with messages about Citizens United, political bribery and the effects of big money influence.



In lieu of the current campaign finance system, he�d like to see a complete paradigm shift. If the system were remade today, Cohen would like to see a tax credit given to every citizen of some amount of money, say $100, and they can spend that money on any federal politician they want, he said.



�But that is the only money that can be spent,� he said, �and that makes everybody equal.�



Some have criticized Cohen, himself a selfmade and successful business man, for railing against the political influence of the wealthy, while himself being, to some degree, independently wealthy.



�You know, I think democracy is everybody�s business and everybody needs to get involved in it,� he said. I think if business only cares about money, and doesn�t care about democracy and freedom, I think our country is lost. It becomes tyranny. �