Voter-Owned Elections

There are been some truly scary reports on the money flooding into elections following Citizens United, most disturbing of all the secret donations and secret meetings to take over Congress that are now being reported in the mainstream press. A good summary of them can be found here. If you are concerned about the issue, can you help us make sure candidates are asked questions about their feelings on Voter-Owned Elections or money in politics at any candidate forums or call-in shows between now and the election? We have a list of suggested questions by office level here. Thanks if you can help!

... and there's a god reason for that!

Courage and Clean Elections

(See what happens when you make me mad?!)

... to slap the Senate Dems this morning after getting a look at the weekend's editorials. Yes, once again, in the face of the reality of the ethics scandals, and the coming indictment of Easley (you know it's going to happen, sooner or later) Dem Senate reps talked a big game and then folded, letting the chance to take the lead on ethics reform slip through their hands. Now they're just standing there, like deer caught in the headlights, waiting for the potshots being lobbied their way to hit them and praying they get out of Raleigh before the Easley mess hits the fan.

Dear Blue NCers,

I need your help this afternoon and hope some of you can spare five minutes to call your NC Senator. Here's the story: a provision to expand Voter-Owned Elections to more Council of State races was included in ethics reform bill H-961 that cleared committee yesterday. Financing provisions specify the VOE programs would be paid for through very small (as in $5) increases in already existing fees imposed on entities doing business with Council of State offices. We expect this bill to come to a vote late this afternoon. However, despite the fact that taxes will not be used for the proposed VOE programs, Americans For Prosperity has unleashed their usual knee-jerk robocall campaign asking members to protest the VOE provision on the grounds of "not wanting their taxes to be raised for this purpose."

Check this out: Citizens United got a special press designation so now they don't even have to disclose who is giving them money. Contact your federal reps if you want Congress to pass a law overturning this or making it impossible in the future:

The hostility of the Supreme Court to regulation has emboldened Republicans on the Federal Election Commission to grant new “press” exemptions for ideological groups that produce and distribute political propaganda to the general public; by a 4-to-1 vote, the FEC awarded Citizens United’s film operations a special press pass so it won’t have to file disclosure reports about its donors or spending.

Join Us in Raleigh: BlueNC friends -- I hope some of you can join me on June 22nd for a citizens lobby day about voter-owned elections and the need for an alternative to the big donation-driven system of running for office we now have. We'll help you make appointments with your state reps. National commentator, Harvard law professor and institutional ethics expert Larry Lessig will be a keynote speaker. If you sign up, please tell them Katy sent you, so I can continue to actually get paid to hang out here! :) From the Democracy NC Link of the Day:

Dear Blue NCers: we need your help over the next few days in convincing Senate leadership that they need to KEEP provisions that would allow for expansion of local and state public campaign financing programs in this year's pending ethics reform bill. I realize that we are facing budget cuts and painful decisions must be made -- but until we change a system that allows $1 BILLION IN SPECIAL TAX BREAKS EACH YEAR to be engineered and protected by PAC's, we are going to find ourselves facing these kinds of painful decisions again and again. Please look to next year and beyond and help us make a permanent change in the system. This bill is likely our one hope this year to pass a few more VOE programs in the state. Action links inside.

“Whoever has the most toys wins.”

I used to laugh (albeit pityingly) at this slogan whenever I saw it on tee shirts during my NYC boom days in the late 80’s and early 90’s. It was mildly funny then. It’s not so funny when the Supreme Court makes it official.

If you live in Chapel Hill – we’d really appreciate your support for the town’s new public campaign financing pilot program at a hearing on Wed. May 14th! If the program is implemented and succeeds, it could really open up access to public office for progressive candidates while limiting the influence of special interest money on local policy.

Wayne Goodwin yesterday became the first 2008 Insurance Commissioner candidate to refuse special interest money: Challenges Dem, GOP opponents to do the same

Note from James:

This is one of those special moments in politics where a $20 contribution to a Democrat from an average citizen counts just as much as a $2000 contribution from an insurance executive to a Republican. Wayne needs 750 registered North Carolina voters to step up in the next few weeks. Please consider supporting this important effort.