Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Big decision on corporate money in politics

Democratic leaders are about to unveil their bill to rein in political spending by big corporations. We need to make sure that the bill includes public financing of congressional campaigns. Can you send Sen. Schumer that message on Facebook right away? Click here to post your comment:

Click Here

Dear MoveOn member,

According to reports, Democrats in Congress may be just days away from unveiling their bill to rein in political spending by big corporations.1 It's critical that Congress act now to stop the tidal wave of big corporate money after the Supreme Court's disastrous decision allowing corporations to spend unlimited funds on political campaigns.

However, Democrats still haven't committed to including public financing of congressional campaigns in the bill. Until we can amend the Constitution to undo the Supreme Court's decision, public financing is one of the best tools we have to curb the influence of corporate money in politics, and we need to speak up now to make sure it's in the bill.

Members of Congress pay close attention to what voters are saying on Facebook. Can you send Sen. Schumer a message on Facebook today telling him to support public financing of congressional campaigns?

Facebook wall:
http://www.facebook.com/chuckschumer?v=wall

Become a fan, then write something like this on his wall:

The Supreme Court has put our democracy up for sale. We need public financing of congressional campaigns to get it back.

(And it's best if you write in your own words, so speak from the heart!)

Then, please let us know you did by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSNY_1&cp_id=1262&rc=fb&id=18883-10220574-77Wc.fx&t=2

Why public financing? The other approaches under consideration would, at best, slow the flood of corporate cash. But public financing would work on the other side of the equation, giving a huge boost to grassroots candidates who raise money from regular folks instead of big corporations and fat cats.

Under the bipartisan public financing plan, candidates who only take contributions below $100 will get every local contribution matched four times over (up to a limit). It adds up to a huge boost for candidates who really rely on the grassroots for support.

The funding for the plan would come not from average taxpayers, but from a small fee on big government contractors and the biggest media corporations—those who profit most from all the negative ads during election season.2 The plan gives control of government back to ordinary people by giving a leg up to politicians that seek support for their campaigns back home, not in Washington, DC.

It's a must for any legislation to curb corporate influence. And a new poll shows it's a winner with voters of all stripes.3 But Democrats may not include these key reforms in their bill, so we need to speak out now. Can you send a message to Sen. Schumer on Facebook?

Then, please click the link below to let us know that you did:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSNY_1&cp_id=1262&rc=fb&id=18883-10220574-77Wc.fx&t=3

Thanks for all you do.

–Steven, Nita, Lenore, Michael, and the rest of the team

P.S. When you finish, click below to become a fan of MoveOn on Facebook:

http://facebook.com/moveon

And click here to follow MoveOn on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/moveon

Sources:

1. "Dems seek quick fix on campaign finance," The Washington Times, February 10, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86431&id=18883-10220574-77Wc.fx&t=4

2. "Fair Elections Now Act Bill Summary," Public Campaign, accessed February 10, 2010
http://www.publicampaign.org/node/38166

3. "Supreme Court ruling fuels ire," Politico, February 9, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86430&id=18883-10220574-77Wc.fx&t=5

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