For years, the Left has screamed that money and speech are not one and the same.

In 2010, President Obama claimed the Citizens United ruling—which protects your individual right of free speech when you exercise your right to associate as part of a membership group, corporation, or other entity—“strikes at democracy itself.” Not long after, retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul declared: “While money is used to finance speech, money is not speech.”

Last year, Hillary Clinton promised a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and declared an anti-speech litmus test for Supreme Court appointments if she was elected. Thankfully, she wasn’t.

The Left isn’t wrong—money is not speech. It’s money. But you can’t have any meaningful speech without spending money. It is the oxygen fueling the fire of political speech. Regulating speech—and the money needed to convey ideas to the public—leaves America with less freedom, and worse off.

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