Clean Elections

Recovering Democracy After Citizens United

Rep. Chellie Pingree | Posted 04.10.2012

Read More: Supreme Court, Fair Elections Now Act, Corporations Are Not People, Citizens United, Clean Elections, Money and Politics, Citizens United Constitutional Amendment, Election Funding, Constitutional Amendment, Politics News
Rep. Chellie Pingree

It's crazy that the Constitution has to be amended to clarify what for the majority of Americans is a clear and true statement: corporations are not people. But that's where we find ourselves today.

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Lessons I've Learned From Maine Clean Elections

Andy O'Brien | Posted 03.27.2012

Read More: Maine Clean Elections, Maine Politics, Clean Elections, Maine, Election Funding, Get Money Out, Campaign Funding, Campaign Finance, Politics News
Andy O'Brien

Money may talk, but it shouldn't buy our democracy and here in Maine, we have proven that there's a better way.

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Cleaning Up Elections? It's Simpler Than You Think.

Roger Wolfson | Posted 03.25.2012

Read More: Elections 2012, Public Policy, Politics, Roger-Wolfson, Constitutional Amendment, Citizens United, Public Financing, John Kerry, Clean Elections, Paul Wellstone, Politics News
Roger Wolfson

Simply overturning Citizens United won't provide us with a campaign system that provides fair results. We were doing poorly before Citizens United, too. We need a far more aggressive change than just overturning that one ruling.

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Maine Bill Would Challenge Citizens United Ruling

Jon Hinck | Posted 03.25.2012

Read More: Montana Supreme Court, Jon Hinck, U.S. Senate, Clean Elections, Olympia Snowe, Senate Races, Maine Clean Elections, Citizens United, Maine, Amend 2012, Politics News
Jon Hinck

Reversing the baleful impact of the Citizens United ruling and instituting effective election reform will not be accomplish quickly, but the longer we wait, the more entrenched these corrupting influences will become. We must act now.

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Citizens United Turns Two: Democracy Is Not a Game

Liz Kennedy | Posted 03.20.2012

Read More: Super Pac, Money in Politics, Newt Gingrich, Citizens United, Clean Elections, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Politics News
Liz Kennedy

After two years of growing public opposition and mounting evidence of the damage of uncontrolled money in politics, the Court should reconsider its decision in Citizens United.

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Democracy For The 99%

Nick Nyhart | Posted 01.18.2012

Read More: Money and Politics, Bought Politics, Constitutional Amendment, Political Contributions, Clean Elections, Fair Elections, Larry Lessig, Citizens United, Politics News
Nick Nyhart

Hundreds of candidates across the country have already run and won depending only small donations combined with public funds.

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One Lesson Not to Take From the Midterms

Frances Moore Lappe | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Fair Elections Now Act, Deb Simpson, Citizens United, Midterm Elections, Corporations, Clean Elections, Campaign Finance, Politics News
Frances Moore Lappe

Money makes politicians beholden to outside interests, distracts them from their jobs, and shuts good people out.

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'Soul Of A Citizen' Excerpt: Taking Money Out Of Politics: A Grassroots Effort For Clean Elections

Paul Loeb | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Campaign Finance Reform, Clean Elections, Maine, Public Campaign, Supreme Court Campaign Finance, Strategy, Common Cause, Arizona Clean Elections, Campaign Finance, Cynicism, Maine Clean Elections, Coalitions, Books News
Paul Loeb

Maine's Clean Elections Act passed with 56 percent of the vote, and it changed Maine's politics. By 2008, three quarters of the candidates in the state were participating.

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Press Conference Drives Reform Message

Mike Lux | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Raul Grijalva, Paul Tonko, MoveOn.Org, Chellie Pingree, Clean Elections, Paul Hodes, Chris Murphy, Keith Ellison, Betty Sutton, Citizens United, Politics News
Mike Lux

This is exactly the kind of message we need to be driving as part of a larger campaign in these elections -- that change has not come to Washington because corporations have been too big a part of the roadblocks.

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Visioning Democracy

Jay Mandle | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Democracy, Fair Elections Now Act, Clean Elections, Economic Crisis, Politics News
Jay Mandle

Change in politics does not occur without passion, and passion in turn requires a compelling vision of how things could be done differently. In this, ...

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"Clean Elections" Stifles Speech

David M. Primo | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Elections, Arizona Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett, Mccain-Arizona-Clean-Elections, Public Financing, Public-Matching-Funds, Supreme Court Campaign Finance, Clean Elections, Politics News
David M. Primo

The Supreme Court is now considering whether to hear Arizona Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett, a First Amendment challenge to Arizona's unconstitutional "Clean Elections" system.

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Nobody's Puppet

David Segal | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Lynch, Cicilline, Gemma, David-Segal, Corporate Contribution, Congress, State Budget, Clean Elections, Corporation, Renewable Energy, Fair Elections, Rhode Island, Citizens United, Public Financing, Hotel, Environment, Westin, Unions, Providence, Politics News
David Segal

Corporations and the extraordinarily wealthy have too much control over our government and over our society. We need to stand up and fight back. And that's why I'm running for Congress.

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Props to Know in CA: Yes on 15, No on 16!

John Wellington Ennis | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Proposition 16, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Proposition 15, Clean Elections, California Politics, Los Angeles News
John Wellington Ennis

Pacific Gas & Electric has spent over $46 million to get you to vote for their monopoly in our elections.

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Sam Stein

Support High For Strong Campaign Finance Legislation: Poll

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Fair Elections, Campaign Finance Legislation, Clean Elections, Poll Numbers Campaign Finance, Reform Campaign Finance, Ideal Landscape, Campaign Finance Law, Video, Politics News

In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that corporations can spend an unlimited amount of money on political campaigns, the landscape has grown ripe ...

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Moving From Lack to Hope

Adele Israel | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Restorative Justice, Mirror Neurons, Producer Responsibility Law, Clean Elections, Change Congress, Liberation Ecology, Democracry, Wester Organization of Resource Councils, Frances Moore Lappe, Lack, Diet for a Small Planet, Concentration of Wealth, Western Colorado Congress, Denver News
Adele Israel

Frances Moore Lappé is a humorous, energetic dynamo. She's a democracy advocate, as well as a world food and hunger expert. Her Grand Junction speech was titled, "Getting a Grip on Democracy."

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Sam Stein

Dodd Signs On To Public Finance Bill Amid Questions Of His Own Fundraising

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Fundraising Aig, Dodd Aig, Dodd Public Financing, Dodd Elections, Chris Dodd, Clean Elections, Politics News

Beset by questions over his ties to the insurance and banking industry, Senator Chris Dodd this past week became the third senator to sign on to the F...

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Congressional Fair Elections Act 2009

Jay Mandle | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Public Funding for Elections, Congressional Elections, Clean Elections, Economic Crisis, Campaign Finance, Politics News
Jay Mandle

This legislation will not be adopted without a hard fight. The special interests who benefit from the "pay to play" political system will not willingly concede defeat.

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Sam Stein

Sam Waterston Pushes Bipartisan Fair Elections Now Act

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Waterson Campaign, Dick Durbin, Arlen Specter, Clean Elections, Sam Waterson, Public Financing, Obama Financing, Public Elections, Obama Elections, Politics News

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is set to propose legislation this week that would create a public election financing system that would keep candidate...

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The Politics of Bank Nationalization

Jay Mandle | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: US Economy, Banking Crisis, US Economic Crisis, U.S. Economy, Nationalizing Banks, Nationalization, Nationalization of Banking Industry, Bank Nationalization, Clean Elections, Wall Street Crisis, Economy, Financial Crisis, Tarp, Economic Crisis, Obama Nationalization, Banks, Henry Paulson, Ben Bernanke, Banks Bailout, Business News
Jay Mandle

Nationalizing failed banks will not be an easy sell. The country has had a long romance with markets and the residue of that infatuation persists among significant segments of the population.

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Our Twin Crises

Jay Mandle | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Environment, Obama Environment, Economic Stimulus, Economic Stimulus Package, Clean Elections, U.S. Economy, Obama Stimulus Plan, Obama Stimulus, Economy, Economic Crisis, Obama Economy, Stimulus, Politics News
Jay Mandle

That we are unable to manage a functioning economy or deal with climate change because rapacious Wall Street traders have disproportionate political clout is a measure of our political dysfunction.

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Wiped? Back to Work

Wendy Block | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: California, Homelessness, Beverly Hills, Barack Obama, Buddhism and Politics, San Fernando Valley, Poverty, Impeachment, Clean Elections, Progressives, Single Payer, Democratic Party, Los Angeles, Election, Marriage Equality, Iraq War, Political Activism, Candidate, Home News
Wendy Block

This past Sunday I ran for re-election as a Delegate to the California Democratic Party. I was on the Progressive Slate, from the 42nd Assembly District which covers parts of LA and the San Fernando Valley.

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Call him Big Money Mitch

David Donnelly | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Senate, Mitch McConnell, Health, Clean Elections, Public Financing, Fair Elections, Kentucky, Big Money Mitch, Campaign Money Watch, Politics News
David Donnelly

The voters in Kentucky are beginning to sour on their Senator Mitch McConnell. Three polls in a week show him in a battle for re-election -- all show his lead within the margin of error.

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Looking to Connecticut for Change

Nick Nyhart | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: 2008, Public Financing, Clean Elections, Public Campaign, Washington, Connecticut, Fair Elections, Congress, Election, Minnesota, Politics News
Nick Nyhart

The State Election Enforcement Commission in Connecticut announced that 75% of candidates for the state legislature have qualified and received funds under the state's Clean Elections program.

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It's Wrong to Count People Who Don't Vote

Michael Markarian | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: 2008 Elections, Elections, Ballot Initiatives, Proposition 105, Clean Elections, Voting Rights, Democracy, Fair Elections, Election 2008, Arizona, Animals, 2008 Election, Election, 08 Election, Voting, Yahoo!, Politics News
Michael Markarian

People who have died or moved and are still on the voter rolls.

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Two Pennies for Your Thoughts

Nick Nyhart | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Congress, Campaign Contributions, Clean Elections, Campaign Finance, Campaign Finance Reform, Politics News
Nick Nyhart

Every time I write a donation check to a candidate this year I'm going to put in my 2 cents in support of Clean Elections modeled programs -- literally. I will be adding $.02 to every donation I make.

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