Group wants Citizens United comments at rally

Havre Daily News/Tim Leeds

Karen Datko, holding a sign reading "People decide elections, not your rich donors," stands behind Cal Burr during Thursday's Havre "Liberate Main Street" rally of Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont.

Local opponents of corporate and third-party spending in election campaigns were disappointed Thursday that U. S. Rep. Dennis Rehberg, R-Mont., who is challenging Montana Democratic U. S. Sen. Jon Tester in the Nov. 6 election, did not take public questions following his "Liberate Main Street" rally in Havre.

After speaking for eight minutes at the rally in front of Norman's Ranch and Sportswear, Rehberg talked to individuals from the audience, but did not take questions following his speech.

"We came here to ask questions, " Hill County Democratic Central Committee Secretary Karen Datko, who was one of a group holding up half-a-dozen or more signs during the rally, said after the event.

Datko said the people in her group wanted to know why Rehberg has not taken steps to limit the scope of the U. S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United versus FEC, which she said has led to millions of dollars of campaign advertising flowing into Montana.

"That's what we wanted to ask him about …, " she said. "Does he support this process? "

Rehberg has said he supports allowing corporations and independent groups to have a voice in elections, under the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, but that he wants transparency in the process. People should know from where the money comes, he says.

Now, people cannot track the source of money from groups paying for advertising such as the conservative Crossroads GPS or the liberal Citizens for Strength and Security Action Fund, which both have run ads in Montana.

"We are concerned about the corrupting influence of a lot of this, " Datko said, adding, "It's alarming. "