Just $6 blogs

Big Oil's Return on Investment

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:54:17 -0400

During his major speech last week on energy policy, Al Gore talked about how big special interests like oil and gas -- the source of some $124 million in federal campaign contributions since 2000 -- were influencing our nation's energy policy:

"It's a very serious problem for our democracy. If we keep going back to the same policies that have never ever worked in the past and have served only to produce the highest gasoline prices in history alongside the greatest oil company profits in history, nobody should be surprised if we get the same result over and over again. [Members of] Congress...are being stampeded by lobbyists for special interests that know how to make the system work for them instead of the American people."

John Rauh on Democracy Now!

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:24:34 -0400

John Rauh appeared on the Democracy Now! radio network Monday, June 23rd to discuss the future of publicly funded campaigns following Senator Obama's decision to forgo the public system. John was joined by Massie Ritsch, Communications Director of the Center for Responsive Politics.

Listen here:

Click here to play

Brad Cook's Notes

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:48:57 -0400

Political journalist Brad Cook attended Americans for Campaign Reform's Evening to Honor Senator Rudman and his coverage in New Hampshire Business Review perfectly encapsulated the spirit of the night:

The dinner pointed out several things....the affection for Rudman and the fact that his former staff members came from all over the country to honor him was testimony to his personality, effectiveness and legacy.

But the most important lesson of the evening was that bipartisanship, addressing problems in a cooperative way, is the only way government is going to be able to solve problems.

Find your name on the Thank You card!

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:12:13 -0400

We were awed by the sheer number of supporters who took the time to sign a thank you card for Senator Rudman. We were also inspired by the personal messages of support for public funding that many of you included.

We created a mosaic of the 900+ signatures in the shape of the Just $6 logo and presented it to Senator Rudman at the event on May 13th.

If you signed the card and would like to find your name, click the link below. Then press the Control (CTRL) and 'F' keys simultaneously and type in your name.

Calling all Millenials

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:04:22 -0400

Our movement needs the active participation and energy of our nation's younger generations if we are to succeed. The good news is that today's youth are keenly aware of the problem of money in politics. It is for this reason that Mobilize.org is holding a summit this July. They'll discuss solutions and empower members of the Millennial Generation to develop innovative clean elections practices, with an emphasis on public finance reforms.

They'll also award thousands of dollars in grants and help the winners launch their ideas. You can download the application packet at here (it's a PDF) or learn more here.

Photos: An Evening to Honor Warren Rudman

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:13:22 -0400

The photos are in from our Evening to Honor Warren Rudman (May 13th, 2008 in Bedford, New Hampshire). As you can see, we had a great turnout to thank the former Senator and current Americans for Campaign Reform Co-Chair.

Speakers honored Senator Rudman for his work in the Attorney General's Office, the US Senate, and most recently, for publicly funded elections. The evening featured former Senators Howard and Nancy Kassebaum Baker, former New Hampshire Governor Walter Peterson, and other notable figures.

A special thanks goes to Truda Bloom for photographing the event. Click on a photo for more information about it.

Hightower Calls for Publicly Funded Elections

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:19:49 -0400

Populist author Jim Hightower recently visited the Citizen Times newspaper in Asheville, North Carolina, where he called upon his fellow citizens to demand publicly funded elections.

In his new book, "Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go With the Flow", Hightower challenges the average person to create the change we need:

"Don’t underestimate how much power plain ol' citizens actually have if they get organized behind a good idea,” Hightower writes in "Swim Against the Current."

"That's what happened in North Carolina in 2000, when a coalition of Tar Heel groups, assembled under the banner of North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections (NCVCE), determined to break the iron fist of money in state politics."

The positive results of the judicial campaign reform law Hightower cites include the election of four women, including the first African-American woman to be popularly elected to North Carolina's top court, and the first woman elected chief justice.

Thanks for coming!

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:11:38 -0400

Americans for Campaign Reform would like to sincerely thank everyone who attended our Evening to Honor Warren Rudman Tuesday evening. The event was a success at every level. Hundreds of guests from across the political spectrum gathered in Bedford, NH to pay tribute to a true statesman. During the evening we heard from Senator Rudman, John Rauh, and others about the critical need to take back our government so we can meet the challenges our nation faces. Former Senators Howard and Nancy Kassebaum Baker addressed the audience and former Governor of New Hampshire Walter Peterson served as Master of Ceremonies.

Weekly Roundup - Chapel Hill, Extreme Makeovers, and Networked Nerds

Fri, 16 May 2008 11:13:53 -0400

A Federal Appeals Court unanimously upheld North Carolina's judicial public funding law, and found that the public funding system furthered First Amendment values:

Relying on extensive precedent from around the country, and particularly on the U.S. Supreme Court's 1976 decision in Buckley v. Valeo, the Fourth Circuit found that North Carolina's disbursement of matching funds to voluntary participants in the public financing system "furthers, not abridges, pertinent First Amendment values." Likewise, the court found that Act's reporting and disclosure requirements "advance" the state's important interests in "providing the electorate with information" and in "deterring actual corruption" and the appearance thereof.

Via The Brennan Center

Public Funding in the Granite State? Stay Tuned.

Fri, 02 May 2008 12:29:59 -0400

Governor John Lynch (D-NH) will sign legislation next month appointing a seven member commission to examine and recommend options to establish a system of public funding of elections.

The commission membership will be bipartisan and will conduct a series of public hearings starting in July around the state to solicit input from New Hampshire citizens. Maine and Arizona have had public funding of elections since 1998, and the experience of these two states will be part of the commission's work.

Weekly Roundup

Fri, 02 May 2008 14:32:11 -0400

The Sunlight Foundation proposes that banning earmarks is unrealistic and that a better step would be to make the earmark process completely transparent.

Common Cause looks the phenomenon of cross-party giving that happens when Republican lobbyists must do business in a Democrat-controlled Congress.

Public Campaign links to poll results showing that 74% of New York residents support publicly financed campaigns.

Like Congress, Supreme Court a Safe Haven for Millionaires

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:47:36 -0400

The Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act and specifically the Millionaire's Amendment, which lifts fundraising limits on a candidate when their opponent is spending large amounts of personal wealth. The amendment was constructed in reaction to the popular belief that wealthy candidates can more or less purchase a seat in elected office.

Photo by Flickr user .A.A.

Two more hacking at the root

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:38:35 -0400

"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root."

-Henry David Thoreau

(photo by Martin LaBar)

At least two more people joined the ranks of the public funding movement full-time last month. One of them you may have heard of, and the other you definitely have not.

The first is Lawrence Lessig, renowned thought leader and the only man I know of who could make copyright reform feel fun and easy. He has turned his attention and unique skillset to the pressing issue of the corrupting influence of money in our government. Lessig has launched a bipartisan group called Change Congress. It's based on a simple, four plank platform to end corruption in Congress. As you might have guessed, plank #4 is Support publicly-financed campaigns:

Campaign Ca$h

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:18:14 -0400

Check out Moblogic.tv's episode on Campaign Cash, below, and its sister blog post, which has lots of great links.

There is such thing as 'enough'

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:22:48 -0400

In our new policy paper, "Does Money Buy Elections?", Policy Director Dan Weeks analyzes the impact that campaign funding has on the outcome of congressional elections. Dan's findings are fascinating: While campaigns require a minimum amount of funding to be competitive, additional funding past this threshold has a very marginal impact on who wins. Even when it's millions of dollars more:

The true picture of campaign spending and its implications for electoral success is more nuanced than the vote-buying hypothesis suggests. Simply put, campaign dollars are not created equal. The force of the first dollar spent in terms of of its vote-getting effect for the candidate is considerably greater than that of the millionth. And once a million has been spent, in all but the costliest of districts, additional spending by incumbents and challengers alike means almost nothing at all.

Implications for Campaign Finance Reform:

Improving the funding prospects of qualified challengers could meaningfully increase the level of competition in congressional campaigns
Funding levels should vary with the competitive spending threshold of a given district to enable unknown candidates to be heard, but they do not necessarily need to match the maximum spending of privately funded candidates
Reforms aimed at limiting candidate spending or restricting access to funds are likely to have an adverse effect on challengers