j madison ctr for free spch

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</div><div></div><div>https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech</div><div>
</div><div>The James Madison Center for Free Speech (JMCFS), founded in 1997, is largely the creation of Senate minority leader <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mitch_McConnell&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Mitch McConnell (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Mitch McConnell</a> <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[1]</a><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[2]</a> and Indiana/D.C. attorney <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Bopp_Jr." title="James Bopp Jr." class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">James Bopp Jr.</a> the attorney who pushed through <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Citizens_United" title="Citizens United" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Citizens United</a> case in the Supreme Court and who is a staunch opponent of McCain-Feingold and any other campaign finance reform. Bopp serves as General Counsel to the organization. JMCFS has an extreme Right Christian orientation in addition to its opposition to all campaign finance reform.Board of Directors includes <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Betsy_DeVos" title="Betsy DeVos" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Betsy DeVos</a> GOP heavyweight and wife of Amway co-founder <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Richard_DeVos" title="Richard DeVos" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Richard DeVos</a>. Their personal and family foundation giving has been tied to the network of far-right Libertarian and conservative Christian think tanks, astro turf grassroots groups and Super PACs. They are members of the Dead Billionaires Club the elite fraction of the 1% who fund much of the far Right's political movements, campaigning and fundraising efforts.<a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249); padding: 7px; display: table; zoom: 1;"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><h2 style="background: none; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: none; display: inline; line-height: 1.3;">Contents</h2>  [<a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#" id="togglelink" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">hide</a>] </div><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#Mission_Statement" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">1Mission Statement</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#Actions" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2Actions</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#Corporate_Officers" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">3Corporate Officers</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#Board_of_Directors" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">4Board of Directors</a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#References" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">5References</a></li></ul></div><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: " linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height">Mission Statement</h2>On their website the organization posts the following mission statement:"The James Madison Center for Free Speech was founded to protect the First Amendment right of all citizens to free political expression in our democratic Republic. Its purpose is to support litigation and public education activities in order to defend the rights of political expression and association by citizens and citizen groups as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution."<a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#cite_note-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[4]</a>In practice, "all citizens" seems to have been more expressive of the viewpoint of the extreme Christian Right (See list of their activities, below).<h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: " linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height">Actions</h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" color="color" rgb="rgb" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">JMCFS has supported the recognition of the Ten Commandments as one of America's founding texts.<a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[5]</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">JMCFS opposed a measure proposed by the Federal Election Commission to ban nonprofits from expressing views on public policy.<a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[6]</a></li></ul><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: " linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height">Corporate Officers</h2>President – <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Wanda_Franz&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Wanda Franz (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Wanda Franz</a>, Ph.D., Morgantown, WV
Secretary – <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Darla_St.Martin&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Darla St. Martin (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Darla St. Martin</a>, Washington, D.C.
Treasurer – <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=David_N.O%E2%80%99Steen&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="David N. O’Steen (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">David N. O’Steen</a>, Ph.D., Washington, D.C.
<h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: " linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height">Board of Directors</h2>Darla St. Martin, Washington, D.C.
David N. O’Steen, Ph.D., Washington, D.C.
Wanda Franz, Ph.D., Morgantown, WV
<a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Betsy_DeVos" title="Betsy DeVos" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Betsy DeVos</a>, Grand Rapids, Michigan
<a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=David_Norcross&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="David Norcross (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">David Norcross</a>, Washington, D.C.
<h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: " linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height">References</h2><ol class="references" style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 3.2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li id="cite_note-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#cite_ref-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up↑</a> John David Dyche, Republican Leader: A Political Biography of Senator Mitch McConnell, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercollegiate_Studies_Institute" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">Intercollegiate Studies Institute</a>, 2009 p. 124 <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=7usMAQAAMAAJ&q=%22james+madison+center+for+free+speech%22&dq=%22james+madison+center+for+free+speech%22&hl=en&ei=SWwNTpOADvKx0AHd692iDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAzgU" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[1]</a></li><li id="cite_note-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#cite_ref-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up↑</a> Ann Southworth, 'Lawyers of the Right: Professionalizing the Conservative Coalition', Chicago: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Of_Chicago_Press" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">University Of Chicago Press</a>, 2008, p. 30 <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=wwhVQqpNQaoC&pg=PA30&dq=%22Pacific+Justice+Institute%22&hl=en&ei=yEwNToLuLsaXtwe1lLDEDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=%22Pacific%20Justice%20Institute%22&f=false" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[2]</a></li><li id="cite_note-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#cite_ref-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up↑</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://truth-2-power.com/2011/12/13/the-dead-billionaires-club-the-dead-cant-vote-but-should-they-give/" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">The Dead Billionaires Club – The Dead Can’t Vote, but Should They Give?</a> - Brian Ross, Truth-2-Power.com 12.13.2011</li><li id="cite_note-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#cite_ref-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up↑</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.jamesmadisoncenter.org/about/mission/" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">James Madison Center for Free Speech - Mission Statement</a></li><li id="cite_note-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#cite_ref-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up↑</a> William J. Federer, The Ten Commandments & Their Influence on American Law - A Study in History, Amerisearch, Inc., 2002, p. 7 <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=sY2_JJhRAMYC&pg=PA7&dq=%22Pacific+Justice+Institute%22&hl=en&ei=B1UNTsjzI8Tj0QHzvbWKCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC0Q6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=%22Pacific%20Justice%20Institute%22&f=false" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[3]</a></li><li id="cite_note-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech#cite_ref-6" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up↑</a> Mark Sidel, More Secure, Less Free?: Antiterrorism Policy & Civil Liberties after September 11, Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 2007 <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=LJ4Bk02qYpcC&pg=PA121&dq=%22james+madison+center+for+free+speech%22&hl=en&ei=63ENTvujOtSu0AGa3vSRDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=%22james%20madison%20center%20for%20free%20speech%22&f=false" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("");" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" standalone="standalone" no="no" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cpath="Cpath" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" m1.5="M1.5" h5.982v10.5h1.5z="h5.982V10.5H1.5z" m5.765="M5.765" h11v5.39l9.427="H11v5.39L9.427" l-1.31-1.31l5.393="l-1.31-1.31L5.393" l-2.69-2.688="l-2.69-2.688" l4.2="L4.2" z="z" m9.995="M9.995" l.022="l.022" l8.2="L8.2" l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z="l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[4]</a></li></ol></div><div>=</div><div>Protesters carried signs demanding that both DeVos and Sagan be "dumped," but only the latter was tarred with the dark money brush. Even among DeVos' detractors, her <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/betsy-devos-trumps-big-donor-education-secretary" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">role</a> in ushering in our new era of dark money has gone largely unheralded. Campaign workers gathering signatures among the demonstrators for a ballot measure that would reduce the influence of money in politics, had no idea, for example, that DeVos herself was a driving force behind Citizens United. But as Jane Mayer describes in <a href="https://billmoyers.com/story/a-must-read-jane-mayers-dark-money-uncovers-the-hidden-history-of-billionaires/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Dark Money</a>, removing any restrictions on political spending has been central to the family’s mission, dating back decades.Long before Betsy DeVos was railing against the “red tape” that stifles public schools, she and her clan were seeking to free the campaign finance system from the burdensome regulations limiting the size of the checks they could write and their influence.The family funded one long-shot legal challenge after another targeting various campaign finance laws. In 1997, DeVos became a <a href="https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/James_Madison_Center_for_Free_Speech" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">founding</a> board member at the James Madison Center for Free Speech, an organization that had as its goal ending all legal restrictions on money in politics. “Soft money,” DeVos wrote in a column for the Capitol Hill magazine Roll Call, was just “hard earned American dollars that Big Brother has yet to find a way to control.”That the balance of power has shifted from parties to a handful of outrageously wealthy zealots, “a tiny, atypical minority of the population,” as Mayer described, is now undeniable. See for example, a recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/us/politics/steve-bannon-robert-rebekah-mercer-alliance.html?mcubz=1" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">New York Times story</a>about the coming battle of the billionaires, in this case Mercer vs. Koch, over whose grim libertarian vision of the future will be imposed upon the rest of us. Unions are among the last brake on this transfer of power—now they’re under existential threat.</div><div>==</div>