Money in Politics

3 Reasons To Be Worried About Blackstone Group

October 24, 2016 Branko Marcetic, www.inthesetimes.com Educate! Hillary Clinton, Money in Politics

By Branko Marcetic for In These Times - Buried among the thousands of John Podesta’s emails released over the last week, you’ll find a short, revealing exchangebetween Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta and Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress and Clinton advisor-in-waiting. “I saw Jon Grey [sic] today,” writes Podesta. “We both sang your praises.”

Is FCC Making It Difficult To Find Funders Of Political Ads

September 29, 2016 Soo Rin Kim, www.opensecrets.org Educate! FCC, Money in Politics

By Soo Rin Kim for Open Secrets - Four years after it began requiring TV stations to upload their records of political ad sales to a central government website, the Federal Communications Commission maintains a recordkeeping system that makes finding out who an ad’s sponsor is feel like a treasure hunt. In 2012, the FCC approved a rule requiring broadcast stations in the largest markets to upload the files showing who bought time for political ads

Leaked Documents Reveal Secretive Influence Of Corporate Cash On Politics

September 15, 2016 Ed Pilkington, www.theguardian.com Educate! Corporations, Money in Politics

By Ed Pilkington for The Guardian - The pervasive influence of corporate cash in the democratic process, and the extraordinary lengths to which politicians, lobbyists and even judges go to solicit money, are laid bare in sealed court documents leaked to the Guardian. The John Doe files amount to 1,500 pages of largely unseen material gathered in evidence by prosecutors investigating alleged irregularities in political fundraising. Last year the Wisconsin supreme court ordered that all the documents should be destroyed, though a set survived that has now been obtained by the news organisation.

Connecting Money In Politics To Racial Justice

August 8, 2016 Chris Kromm, www.facingsouth.org Resist! Black Lives Matter (BLM), Money in Politics

By Chris Kromm for Facing South - This week, a coalition of more than 50 organizations connected to the Black Lives Matter movement released a highly-anticipated policy agenda document, "A Vision for Black Lives." Rooted in the cause launched in 2013 to protest the killings of African Americans by police, the document began to take shape at a gathering in Cleveland last year. According to the coalition's website, it aims to "articulate a common vision and agenda" for the movement.

DNC Emails: Entrenched Pay-To-play Culture In Democratic Party

July 31, 2016 Branko Marcetic, www.inthesetimes.com Educate! Corruption, Democratic Party, Money in Politics, Wikileaks

By Branko Marcetic for In These Times. Some of the nearly 20,000 Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails released by WikiLeaks illustrate a pervasive culture of pay-to-play within the Democratic Party, where wealthy donors are granted the type of unprecedented access to party officials and lawmakers that ordinary citizens can only dream of, all in the hope that doing so will unlock access to their checkbooks. In advance of this week’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, the DNC was engaged in a furious scramble for cash. In an April 25 email, one staffer sent Naomi Aberly, a vice chairwoman of the DNC’s national finance committee and major Democratic fundraiser, a list of donors to contact “who have maxed the past few years but have yet to max this year.” Part of this scramble involved selling special “convention packages” to big money donors that promised them ever more impressive perks the more money they gave or raised. One of the documents released by WikiLeaks outlines these packages. The top-tiered package, called “Rittenhouse Square,” promises any individual who either raises $1.25 million or gives $467,600 to the DNC by June 1 a variety of benefits. Along with “priority booking in a premiere hotel,” nightly access to VIP lounges and parties, and an exclusive photo opportunity, the package also tempts donors with seats at “an exclusive roundtable and campaign briefing with high-level Democratic officials,” and participation in various business roundtables and industry panels taking place throughout the event.

These States Are Stepping Up To Reform Money In Politics In 2016

May 25, 2016 Paul Blumenthal, www.huffingtonpost.com Create! Money in Politics, Reform

By Paul Blumenthal for The Huffington Post - WASHINGTON — The next front in the battle for campaign finance and lobbying reforms will likely be on the ballot in Washington state and South Dakota in November. Activists there have either succeeded or are well on their way to securing ballot positions for omnibus reform initiatives to change the states’ campaign finance, lobbying and ethics laws. The two ballot initiatives mark the continuation of a strategy pursued by national reform groups like Represent.Us

The Not-So-Hidden Fracking Money Fueling The 2016 Elections

February 10, 2016 David Turnbull, www.priceofoil.org Educate! 2016 Elections, Campaign Financing, Fracking, Money in Politics

By David Turnbull for Oil Change International - The New York Times today has pulled together a list of all the individuals who have contributed over 1 million dollars in the 2016 election…and there’s some major fracking money hiding in plain sight. If you take a quick glance at the Times’ list of big contributors, you’ll see a hodgepodge of hedge fund managers, CEOs of major companies, and, of course oil industry executives. But, if you dig a little deeper, one family quickly emerges as a major player in the 2016 race: The Wilks family.

Report: Growing Movement For Democracy Reform

February 9, 2016 Staff, www.commoncause.org Create! Campaign Finance, Money in Politics

By Staff of Common Cause - A citizens’ movement to break the power of big money in politics with tougher disclosure laws, financing systems that elevate small dollar donors, and other reforms is winning important victories in states and localities across the country, Common Cause and several allied groups advocates argue in a report released today. “Our Voices, Our Democracy,” highlights calls by voters, state legislatures and local governing bodies in 16 states and more than 680 localities for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC

The Citadel Is Breached: Congress Taps Fed For Infrastructure Funding

January 20, 2016 Strategize! Congress, Federal Reserve, Money in Politics

By Ellen Brown for The Web of Debt Blog - For at least a decade, think tanks, commissions and other stakeholders have fought to get Congress to address the staggering backlog of maintenance, upkeep and improvements required to bring the nation’s infrastructure into the 21st century. Countries with less in the way of assets have overtaken the US in innovation and efficiency, while our dysfunctional Congress has battled endlessly over the fiscal cliff, tax reform, entitlement reform, and deficit reduction.

California Can Hold Ballot Measure On Citizens United, Court Rules

January 6, 2016 Nick Cahill, www.huffingtonpost.com Create! California, Citizens United, Democracy, Money in Politics

By Nick Cahill for The Huffington Post - SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - California lawmakers can ask for voters' opinions on campaign-spending laws after the California Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Legislature's power to use advisory ballot measures. In a 6-1 decision, the Golden State's high court ruled lawmakers have the power to place a nonbinding measure on statewide ballots asking voters if Congress should be spurred to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling on unlimited independent campaign donations. Writing for the state high court, Justice Kathryn M. Werdegar said lawmakers have a state constitutional right to ask voters about potential federal constitutional amendments.

The Stampede Tour Begins To “Stamp $ Out Of Politics”

November 24, 2015 Staff, www.occupywallst.nyc Resist! Money in Politics

By Staff of Occupy Wall Street - ASHEVILLE, NC -- American roots music troubadours, Donna the Buffalo and Peter Rowan, are teaming up with Ben Cohen, Co-Founder of Ben Jerry's, for a unique tour called “The Stampede.” It is a tour to raise awareness to the inappropriate use of corporate money in politics. With the upcoming election season, this is to help raise awareness of the power of each individual while enjoying a great night of entertainment. The Stampede is led by Ben Cohen, Co-Founder of Ben and Jerry’s.

How To Win Sanders’ Supporters To Independent Politics

August 9, 2015 Bryan Koulouris, www.socialistalternative.org Strategize! Elections, Electoral Politics, Independence, Money in Politics, Socialism

By Bryan Koulouris in Socialist Alternative. The Bernie Sanders campaign for President is gaining more traction than anybody expected. This reflects the massive, widespread hatred of Wall Street, the frustration at big business domination of the political system and the openness to socialist ideas in US society. Sanders’ rallies have constantly necessitated bigger venues than organizers planned. Thousands are being turned away at the doors from New Hampshire and Iowa to Colorado and Minnesota. Polls show Sanders’ support skyrocketing, putting him within ten percentage points of Hillary Clinton in state after state. Socialist Alternative stands for building a new, mass working people’s party. We disagree with Sanders’s approach of running in the Democratic primary.

Can the Gyrocopter Gang Start a Political Reform Movement?

May 17, 2015 Ralph Nader, www.blog.nader.org Organize! Democracy, Elections, Money in Politics

Florida - Last month when Florida postal worker, Doug Hughes, landed his tiny aircraft, known as a gyrocopter, on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol with 535 letters addressed to every member of Congress, the conversation should have been about his desperate message. Instead, his letter to each Senator and Representative arguing for an end to the corruption of private money in public election campaigns was largely ignored. The media focused instead on an airspace violation with an unregistered aircraft. The delivery of a letter remarking on racism or sexism in the United States may have gotten far more attention. While issues of gender and race are important and making much progress, less personal topics that don’t invoke a human, emotional reaction, are in danger of being swept under the rug.

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