Pelosi: Democrats will overturn Citizens United if they retake House

During an appearance on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) vowed that Democrats would work "on the first day we're there" to overturn the controversial Citizens United ruling if they retook the House.

She insisted "the public wants" Congress to overturn the Supreme Court ruling, which struck down key campaign finance laws that limited union and corporate spending. The 2010 decision opened the way for Super PACs, which can receive unlimited sums of money to influence elections as long as they do not coordinate with a candidate.

Democrats have proposed a constitutional amendment that would give Congress the authority to regulate the campaign finance system. But overturning Citizens United is almost universally opposed by Republicans, who argue that political spending is a form of free speech that should not be limited.

Pelosi also said that Democrats would move once again to pass the DISCLOSE Act, which would have required the head of any organization that puts a political ad on TV or radio to publicly state that he or she approves the message, similar to what candidates must do now. Republicans have blocked the bill twice.

Pelosi added that she would work to elect lawmakers who "stand up for our democracy that our founders sacrificed everything for -- The government of the many, not the government of the money."

During her appearance on MSNBC, Pelosi also accused Republicans of attempting to suppress voter turnout with restrictive laws and by "poisoning" the 2012 campaign.

Watch video, courtesy of MSNBC, below:

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