Campaign Finance Reformers Launch Progressive Effort To Remove Money From Politics

WASHINGTON -- The backlash against the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission continues to grow as a trio of progressive media icons have launched a new effort to remove corporate money from elections.

The We the People Campaign began on Tuesday, with The Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel, former Texas Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower and former Mother Jones publisher Jay Harris in charge of the effort to bring progressive media and advocacy groups together.

"It really came out of conversations just over a year ago," Hightower said. "Katrina, Jay and I had long been talking to progressive groups, particularly progressive media, about the need to consider a little bit of coordination and cooperation on big topics. ... So we decided to do it by focusing on Citizens United, a constitutional amendment and various ways to get around the corporate power dominating our politics."

Both Hightower and Harris pointed to the 2010 decision in Citizens United as the trigger that set off growing grassroots interest in the influence of corporate money over politics. Citizens United opened the door to independent spending by corporations and unions in elections.

"I've never seen this level of activism," Harris said. "Citizens United touched a nerve. Somehow, that kind of wonky, process-oriented, get-money-out-of-politics, McCain-Feingold type of thing never was a top five issue for most people. It was a relatively small core. People are seeing the connections now. It is, in fact, worse than ever. [The decision] was a wake-up call."

We the People is working with media outlets through the Media Consortium to bring attention to journalism that exposes corporate spending in politics. Their first piece in a series focuses on independent spending on an Ohio ballot initiative that would curtail the collective bargaining rights of public employees in the state.

The group also seeks to match potential supporters with a number of advocacy groups, including Public Citizen, People for the American Way, Common Cause, PRWatch, Free Speech for People and Move to Amend. It will be involved in planning house parties for the second anniversary of Citizens United and working with local organizers with the same goals.

Hightower explained that We the People is looking to "link up the message, the information, to action by tying in with some progressive organizations who are working on the issues of money in politics. We want to inform and activate."

The launch of We the People comes as other media figures have started similar efforts. MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan is running a campaign to amend the Constitution to, as he puts it, "get money out." The Young Turks' Cenk Uygur recently created a super PAC to organize citizens at the state level to push for a constitutional convention that would adopt an amendment removing private money from politics.

The policy solutions offered by We the People will be varied and mainly driven by the interests of its partner organizations, which, for the most part, also favor such a constitutional amendment.

"We offer a lot of different levers for people to pull in this corporate money issue," Hightower said. "A constitutional amendment is a great organizing tool. This is an issue that puts all of the corporate politicians on the defensive. It backs them up and gives a very sharp focus as the Occupy movement is doing to the whole movement [against] corporate power."

Disappointment in President Barack Obama and other Democratic politicians is another driving force behind the group's creation.

"We are straight up that we cannot count on Barack Obama and we cannot count on the Democratic members of Congress to do anything about this," Hightower said.

"This has happened to progressives before, where you get the great hope and then you get disappointed," Harris explained. "The broader point is that Democrats are up to their necks in corporate money, too."

See the We the People Campaign launch video:

Comments

[richfair]

03:09 PM on 10/29/2011

Our Democracy has become threatened by corporate, PAC, and lobbyist undue influence on elections and politicians. The only way to restore a true democracy is to have our political leaders free from the influence of money to support their campaigns. It is time for Public Financing of elections, without ANY loopholes.

So I created a petition. I believe signing this petition will help. Will you please sign it today?
The petition says:

"I support the public financing of all elections. No more corporate, lobbyist, or private funds to be used for campaigns to elect or reelect our public servants."

Will you sign this petition? Click here:

http://signon.org/sign/public-financing?source=c.em.cp&r_by=30865

Thanks!
Richard Fairfield

[BenDoubleCrossed]

04:11 PM on 10/29/2011

If the United States Supreme Court defined freedom of religion using the same logic that campaign laws use to define a free press only the church or synagogue "as an institution" would enjoy freedom of religion, not its parishioners!

Campaign laws exempt the corporate press, because the 1st Amendment prohibits abridging corporation’s freedom of speech and the press. But unless corporations have taken up worshiping God; those rights were intended for flesh and blood?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The only thing campaigns produce is information for distribution.
The commercial press are themselves special interest and dependent on the advertising dollars of other special interests. They can spike or ignore stories and decide what views are presented as news. How does giving a megaphone to the corporations while muzzling grass roots communications remove corporate influence from elections?

When grass roots can spend unlimited soft money challengers are more likely to win.

The corporate media are the biggest promoter of campaign reform because it concentrates their power. If the media were sincere they would carry candidate and issue ads for free. But campaign season is Xmas for corporate media.

[lundeenc]

01:40 PM on 10/28/2011

Winning elections means having great campaign staffs, great PR staffs, great travel capabilities, great ad firms and, oh yeah, gobs of TV time. In other words, winning elections means having mountains of money. In still other words, elections are bought. So yes, get the money factor out. Good damn luck.

[Jeff Woodring]

06:19 PM on 10/27/2011

Nice goals but WTF are these levers they're talking about. These three have the ability to put an enormous amount of skin in the game but so far they only sound like their going to do a lot of jaw jackin' and not carry any water. I hope they make a difference, but so far, it just sounds like a bunch of hooie

[msnbc liberal]

07:05 PM on 10/27/2011

Even in what’s suppose to be the greatest democracy on earth the voice of the people is too often drowned out by corporations and financial fat cats who with their wealth control politicians at the state and federal levels with their lobbyists and their campaign contributions.

[amleth]

06:10 PM on 10/27/2011

It would be a major political error, IMO, to not recognize that the control of our monetary system is completely in the hands of the banks and the corporations. It will not do to simply reverse or negate Citizens United, though that is a worthy primary goal. Our monetary system ought be revamped. This is a vast can of worms, of course, because we are talking international in terms of monetary controls. We cannot dismiss the enormity of this problem, but our current chaotic and terrifying uncertainties are going to look like freedom compared to what the ultimate corporate controls will amount to. Here are three sites that detail this problem: Inside Job (1 of 8) (utterly devastating)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFfTcAcGjcU 

The Secret of Oz (the sordid financial history of the Unites States)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swkq2E8mswI 

Ellen Brown - Web of Debt (1 of 5)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU0XiklHPMc

[Sam Bark]

04:07 PM on 10/27/2011

Public only election financing is a MUST: The media is making much about election financing -- Here is a simple suggestion: None of your various grievances has the slightest hope of being addressed until we have mandatory public-only financing of election campaigns. It is only by getting Special interest groups, Corporates and Unions money out of politics that we have any hope of recovering our representative form of government.
Therefore, the suggested amendment to all election laws ia s mandatory public-only financing of elections to be the single source of financing for all elected officials and initiatives regardless of level, state, local and federal.

[Robert Secrist]

02:38 PM on 10/27/2011

Both parties are thoroughly corrupted by special interest money. Without a constitutional amendment there is absolutely NO chance of changing things.

[sgraham59]

01:59 PM on 10/27/2011

Nixon Should Have NEVER Been Pardoned

[Caseybug]

02:01 PM on 10/27/2011

We don't prosecute the "elite". It is verboten.

[Jeff Woodring]

06:27 PM on 10/27/2011

We did not have to prosecute him, but HIS pardon pardoned them all. He should have not been allowed to resign but required to go through the full impeachment process, then tried by the senate and REMOVED from office.

[amleth]

03:40 PM on 10/27/2011

Nor should Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rummy, and the rest of their gang walk away with no consequence for their perfidious and criminal actions in office.

Cheney is actually of the opinion that the law does not apply to people in office. As did Nixon - " . . if the president does it, then it is not illegal."

I grew up in a nation where no person was above the law - at least in principle. Now that has changed for the disastrous worst.

[Jeff Woodring]

06:28 PM on 10/27/2011

They could all still be tried for war crimes just for Iraq. Not so much for the torture, but for waginng aggressive war.

[scottwarhar]

01:44 PM on 10/27/2011

Justice for sale is not justice at all.When to few own to much and politicians sign the legislation that their paid lobbiest write we end up with Tiffany justice for them and Dollar General for the rest of us.

[Caseybug]

01:43 PM on 10/27/2011

So it seems that the American people collectively are smarter than 5 supreme court justices. Politics was never supposed to reach the highest court in the land. Just goes to show...

[Jesster]

01:52 PM on 10/27/2011

The Right Wing has been plotting this take over for over 50 years (ever since FDR really - but they started serious organizing after the Goldwater debacle in 1964..

The famously disoganized "Liberals" and infinitely less diabolical Democrats didn't even see it coming - and for the most part, still don't get it. That's is what gave birth to the OWS - the most authentic grass roots movement we've seen in decades.

[Caseybug]

01:59 PM on 10/27/2011

Absolutely right Jesster, it took the PEOPLE to make a stand, not a political party.

Now it's time to change politics.

[amleth]

05:03 PM on 10/27/2011

Not to confuse any issues, but there is another 800 pound gorilla in the room: the fact that the right and the corporate structure completely control the monetary system. We fought a revolution to prevent that, but the banks have relentlessly pressed their interests and have prevailed to an extent that even the most avaricious among them would not have predicted. This is a worldwide economic problem now: the rich have insisted on running the world's finances and now that the have screwed it up royally, they want everyone but them to pay. Fanned and faved.

[DanBeach]

01:39 PM on 10/27/2011

Our government is bought, and we’re angry. GET MONEY OUT. Politicians won’t do this. But we will!

http://www.getmoneyout.com/?recruiter_id=81491

[DanBeach]

01:37 PM on 10/27/2011

In this country, we cheer for people who hit their own home runs - not shortcut-chasing juicers like Bonds and McGwire, Blankfein and Dimon.

[Jesster]

01:57 PM on 10/27/2011

For some reason - there is a enormous disconnect.

On the other hand - most of the cheaters do - for the most part - get away with it ...
And like their peers on Wall Street, don't seem to mind the scorn that so many feel towards them. You know how the saying goes, "Laughing all the way to the bank..."

[Arik Florimonte]

01:01 PM on 10/27/2011

We absolutely need to get unlimited political contributions out of politics, and then representative democracy can do its work. I've also started a petition for a Constitutional amendment to end corporate personhood and limit money in politics. Please take a look, sign and pass it along. I plan to deliver it when we get enough signatures to get noticed.

http://signon.org/sign/return-government-to

[zingdaddy]

01:36 PM on 10/27/2011

Thanks, Arik! Good work. Will sign your petition.

[LvsPnthers]

04:29 PM on 10/27/2011

Signed and shared!

[lriSdismayed]

12:50 PM on 10/27/2011

YES!!!! About time. I tried to fill out your participation form but it would only let me go half way down the form ! Sorry ! I hope we see more adds from you during election time stating exactly which corporation is lining which politicians' pockets and what that politician did for that company in the past. The more people know about these interactions the less politicians might dirty their hands with this crap and actually work for the people. I also feel that every judge in this country should be elected by the people instead of getting there by political favors. They would not vote for the corporation if that were the case. EVERY JUDGE this includes the surpreme court!!!!!

[Barbara DeZan]

12:42 PM on 10/27/2011

I'll tell ya... I don't think anyone gives a hoot in he11 what Citizens United thinks.....

[Mr Universe]

05:27 PM on 10/27/2011

Kinda lonely in that cave, eh?