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Not much has changed since Will Rogers said “We have the best Congress money can buy.”
Wealthy special interests still trade big campaign contributions for special treatment from Congress on a regular basis.
One example is BP, the corporation responsible for the Gulf oil spill, which has given over 6 million dollars to candidates in the last 20 years.
It’s time to change the system so that Congress will work for the people – not the big-money special interests.
Tell your members of Congress to support the Fair Elections Now Act today.
The Fair Elections Now Act would set up a public financing system for qualified congressional candidates.
Public campaign financing would break big money’s stranglehold on our government, by helping candidates to run competitive campaigns without taking money from corporate lobbyists and PACs.
Many of America’s problems can be traced to our poorly regulated campaign finance system – where candidates for Congress take money from wealthy special interests in return for political favors.
The BP oil spill disaster is just one example of the harm caused by big money in politics. The oil industry’s political contributions helped BP avoid having to install crucial safety features on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that could have stopped the spill.
Outrageously, BP may avoid paying for the damage it caused thanks to a liability cap passed by Congress after the devastating 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
It’s not hard to understand why Congress lets the oil companies have their way – the oil and gas industry gave a whopping $22.9 million to congressional candidates in 2008, and has already given $9.7 million in the 2010 election cycle.
Elected officials should be accountable only to the voters and the public good – not big corporations scheming behind the scenes to purchase political outcomes.
Tell your members of Congress to support the Fair Elections Now Act today.
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how do you get them to vote against their own interests? It seems like a logical impossibility. Sending them a letter, asking to stop their own corruption is not going to accomplish anything.
On top of that, the supreme court has claimed that money=free speech, and Obama has moved the court further to the right since that decision.
How do you do it?
H.R. 1826 is nothing more that a carrot on a string introduced in one form or another every two years without any intent on passage. Oh they will give you a little talk about “future prospects” during election season in liberal districts but just like H.R. 676 it’s nothing more that a practical joke against the people.
Now with the $750 million president in office and the shortsightedness of Democrats it is even more on the back burner.
I know what it would take and few in America have the stamina for it. Too many are too comfortable and too many are too uninformed. Several have tried to have a voice in government and realized that it is a waste of time. Plus for many who fell for the “I got mine” mentality that can be found in every part of the consumer economy, they just don’t give a shit.
As far as progressive blogs are concerned it will take more than a few people writing about it but too many are too busy building up Dems in the name of that conspiracy theory “newer better Democrats.” History shows that the day they are sworn in they all become incumbent Democrats and partisan issues are not even real issues but some people just need to believe.
It will take community action like card tables set up on sidewalks so Americans can discuss it with one another. It will take graffiti, regular demonstrations and other forms of informative protest. It will take at least two people standing outside every congressional office convincing every visitor to ask “Where did Gramm-Leach-Bliley come from?” and “Why did we not get a public option?” and “Why do oil companies have safety regulations that would have prevented this disaster elsewhere?” and “Why are we at war?”
It will take an endless list of questions that they can’t answer.
It’s going to take a whole lot of things but one first step is the realization that when it comes to that “Fair Elections Now Act,” they are just fuckin’ with you.
If the point ever comes that the people accept that our elected officials are that same as a cop on the street taking money from drug dealers so they can sell their product outside of public schools they it becomes 309 million to about 500. Once they fear us, then we will get what we deserve.