 Odds are almost every money in politics story you've ever seen has started with two simple words. Citizens United. Citizens United. Citizens United. Citizens United. Yes, Citizens United. The Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is one of the most notorious rulings of our time. And when people talk about Citizens United, they make it sound like the Death Star. Like this massive force that flipped some invisible switch on our government from not corrupt to super corrupt. And if we could just do away with this one ruling, money would stop pouring into our political system and democracy would be saved. Now, make no mistake, Citizens United was a bad ruling. Its underlying assumptions have been proved wrong time and time again, and it will hopefully be overturned by a future Supreme Court and relegated to the dustbin of history where it belongs. But here's the thing, Citizens United could be thrown out tomorrow and it would still be perfectly legal for special interests and lobbyists to buy and sell politicians. But hey, don't take my word for it. Let's look at an example. See if you can spot where Citizens United comes in. So one of the most egregious examples of our corrupt political system at work comes in the form of America's astronomically high drug prices. And this is not an accident. It is a deliberate feature of legislation passed by our own Congress. It prohibited Medicare and the federal government from using its vast purchasing power to negotiate lower prices directly from the drug companies. Well, the key goal was to make sure there'd be no interference in the drug companies' ability to charge high prices and to continue to increase those prices. Let that sink in, y'all. Federal law specifically prohibits Medicare from trying to negotiate cheaper prices with drug companies. So, how do you think the pharmaceutical industry managed to pull that one off? Congressmen are outnumbered two to one by lobbyists for an industry that spends roughly a hundred million dollars a year in campaign contributions and lobbying expenses to protect its profits. The pharmaceutical lobbyists wrote the bill. The bill was over a thousand pages and it got to the members of the House that morning and we voted for it at about 3 a.m. in the morning. Yeah, stop me if you've heard this one before. In order to avoid public scrutiny, the industry-friendly legislation was hustled through Congress in the middle of the night. And it ultimately passed, largely thanks to this guy, then-Congressman Billy Tauzan. And I say then-Congressman because after he ushered the prescription drug bill through Congress, Tauzan was named President and CEO of Pharma, the leading pharmaceutical industry trade group. Because of course he was. So, just like that, special interests were able to buy public policy that hamstrings the competitive market and hurts regular Americans. Thanks a lot, Supreme Court. Citizens United strikes again. Except not at all. This story happened in 2003, a full seven years before Citizens United. And the exact same kind of thing is still happening every single day on nearly every issue. Despite what you've probably heard, Citizens United is not the sole source of political corruption in America. It is just one piece of an enormously complex problem. So, what did Citizens United actually do? Well, as long as the decision stands, so-called independent groups funded by corporations, unions, and a small handful of incredibly, incredibly super-duper rich people can spend unlimited sums of money trying to influence our political system. In practical terms, that means groups like Patriot Majority on the left and Americans for prosperity on the right can keep flooding the airwaves with manipulative political ads. Like these. Outsourcing jobs, taking down the flag. No wonder Ben Romney wants to hide from the truth. Call Representative Kathy Conway. Tell her to stand with Missouri workers, not Barack Obama's liberal agenda. Sharon Engel, no plan, no jobs. Angus King, helping himself, hurting Maine. Classy. But it is also worth noting that this post-Citizens United mega donor money only goes so far. In 2012, Casino Magnate and Angry Pile of Mashed Potatoes, Sheldon Adelson, spent more than $100 million on races across the country. But nearly all of his preferred candidates lost anyway. In 2016, huge outside groups couldn't say former GOP presidential hopefuls like Rick Perry or Scott Walker. And they haven't done a whole lot for Jeb Bush either. He's still struggling in the polls despite having more Super PAC money than anyone else. And that's not to say that Citizens United didn't matter. And that's certainly not my intention with this video. Even when big money loses, it has a huge impact by shaping who can mount a legitimate campaign and which policies they champion if elected. But it's crucial to understand that when it comes to rigging the system for financial gain, the most successful special interests write our laws, bribe our legislators with cushy lobbying jobs, and directly fund their reelection campaigns. These strategies all existed long before Citizens United. And more importantly, they can be outlawed right now without waiting for a constitutional amendment. I wanted to make this video because I still see a ton of very influential public leaders continue to portray the repeal of Citizens United as the one and only answer to political corruption. And this message really bothers me. Not because I don't like the idea of overturning Citizens United, but because there is so much more we can and should be fighting for. Like, even if Citizens United stayed in place, there's still a huge list of reforms that would be 100% constitutional. You could pass all of the things I'm about to read tomorrow. For starters, we could make it illegal for legislators to take a lavish vacations paid for by special interests, ban lobbyists from coordinating fundraisers and making donations to the politicians they lobby, make it illegal for legislators and their staff to take a lucrative lobbying jobs as soon as they leave government, mandate full transparency of every dollar spent to influence our political system, change the way elections are funded by creating small donor systems so candidates can run for office without selling out to special interests. And that's all just for starters. Not one of these reforms is prevented by Citizens United, but together they could help keep the Billy Towsons of the world from selling our government to the highest bidder. If we really want to fix our corrupt political system, we have to think beyond Citizens United and tackle the most immediate, pernicious, and insidious cause of corruption today. A government that is dependent on rich donors, special interests, and lobbyists instead of the American people. And it's going to take more than a constitutional amendment to break that dependency. Thank you so much for watching Follow the Money. Now, I want you to do something for me. I want you to look into this adorable puppy's eyes. Wait, Stella, camera's over here. Eh, eh, whatever. Look at the adorable puppy. She wants you to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you probably should. Also, if you have questions about money and politics, send an email to mailbagatrepresent.us and we'll answer them on the show, but not today because we ran out of time. Bye.