As the 2016 election cycle shapes up to be the most expensive in history, communities throughout the country are winning "important victories" in the fight against big money, according to a new report released Monday by a coalition of progressive groups.
I was first old enough to understand the urgent call for campaign finance reform when I was a student, back in the late 1960s, early 1970s. It became a particular urgent issue every election year since. The problem is, it actually IS a legitimate, increasingly urgent issue, and we're still at square one. At the least, we would need to take control of campaigns, themselves, giving candidates adequate and equal air time, and put dramatic limits on campaign fund raising. I think the reason there has been virtually no change through the decades is that campaigns can be wildly profitable. It's always a gamble, but even a failed campaign can fill the pockets of the few.
Meaningful change will come about from the root; from the bottom up, and it will be clothed in unity and equality--not fear, not profit.
This reminds me to strongly recommend everyone to see the movie: "Where to invade next", the release of which is slated to coincide with the New Hampshire primaries, tomorrow, Feb. 9.
See the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
This is what it's always been -- simple bribery.
For cripes sake, Teddy Roosevelt was talking about the need even back then
to get corporations out of our elections.
And more than that, it keeps selling to the American public that our problems will be solved when we have real campaign finance reform. In case folks don't remember, campaign financing was an issue before Citizens United, so many of these ideas to overturn Citizens United simply return us to where we were pre-2010.
The root issue is corporate constitutional rights. Corporations used their 1886 SCOTUS-granted 14th amendment right--equal protection under the law--to gain their SCOTUS-granted first amendment right to free speech, which they used to ultimately win Citizens United. As long as they are legal persons, they have the same rights we do, and with their wealth and immortality, will continue to wreak havoc in this democratic republic until we strip them of their human standing. > Sign the Motion to Amend.
Just saying - but if we turned off the money, and candidates had to run on small donations, they would actually share content, make reporters do the work of fact checking and news coverage - and rather than the average American finding the whole process so sickening they tune out, people would actually find and support people who made sense. I'm so old - "How old am I you ask/", that I remember political parties which regional differences - a spectrum of ideas with liberal/conservative ranges in both parties and they overlapped. Debate started in their own party committees - crossed the isle - and in reasoned argument, compromise lead to real accomplishment. We even had a term from some of the key people who helped the process - we called them "Statesmen", oh what a change that would be from the buffoons attempting to lead our nation after selling out to the highest bidder.
Find George's uncut riff here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G91892EuhyU
Carlin left a big hole to fill when he died. Substitute Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria, etc. and he is still so right on.
I’m commenting here, because I want to encourage you to be a volunteer for Wolf Pac. Wolf Pac has been fighting to get big money out of politics for several years, because as we all know, our political system is more corrupt now than it has ever been in our history! Even the presidential candidates, such as Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, have spoke out to admit that this is one of the biggest problems that we face today.
Most of the other problems we face won’t be solved until we get big money out of politics and stop the corruption of out government! Wolf Pac has created a plan to pass a resolution State by State to bypass Congress, because they are the most corrupt. This resolution has passed in 4 states, so far. To make this happen, we need volunteers. Being a volunteer doesn’t have to take alot of your time. Do you want to be a volunteer and make history with us?
Please go to this wolf-pac(dot)com and sign up NOW!
