The Center for Media and Democracy has joined a diverse coalition of groups in an online protest of the made-up notion that "money is speech" and that corporations have a "free speech right" to distort democracy with unlimited spending.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court declared that corporations have the “right” to spend unlimited dollars corrupting our democracy, working Americans have rapidly been losing their rights to vote, to organize collectively, to breath clean air and drink clean water, and to access affordable health care.

Many of the legislators pushing these policies were elected in 2010 as a result of unlimited corporate election spending unleashed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Much of that spending was secretly filtered through misleadingly-named “non-profit” groups that did not disclose their donors.

In response to the gross inequity of influence by corporate interests that have the “free speech right" to spend unlimited money influencing elections, the Center for Media and Democracy has joined a diverse group of more than a dozen organizations in a protest called “The Day When $$$$ Equals Speech.”

Instead of words, participants are posting the following message on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social media networks:

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ www.DollarsOrDemocracy.org #WeThePeople

Dollars or Democracy?

The landing page, www.DollarsOrDemocracy.org, encourages others to join the online protest and explains the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. F.E.C., which held that corporations have the “right” under the First Amendment to spend unlimited amounts of money influencing elections and distorting democracy.

"Since that illegitimate decision by five politicians appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, corporations have increased their efforts to distort our elections and nation's commitment to government of by and for the people,” said Lisa Graves, the Center for Media and Democracy’s Executive Director. “Through the expanded use of secretly-funded “non-profit” shell groups, corporations and their CEOs are throwing their voices, like ventriloquists, through front groups working to undermine the integrity of our elections through deception and misinformation.”

In addition to the Center for Media and Democracy, groups participating in the day of action on Thursday, August 11 include the Center for Biological Diversity, Coffee Party USA, Common Cause, Demos, Greenpeace, Hip Hop Caucus, Move to Amend, North Carolina Center for Voter Education, People for the American Way, Public Campaign, The Story of Stuff Project, USAction and The Young Turks.

Take Action!

Please join the protest! Post the following message to your Facebook profile, Twitter, and other social media sites:

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ www.DollarsOrDemocracy.org #WeThePeople