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Montana, WTP, and the Supreme Court: A Tale of Irony -- Part 2

Montana, WTP, and the Supreme Court: A Tale of Irony — Part 2

by Kellye In Part 1 on this subject (here), the history behind Montana’s Corrupt Practices Act, which made corporate contributions in state elections illegal, and the Montana Supreme Court case involving Western Tradition Partnership (WTP), which upheld Montana’s Corrupt Practices Act, are discussed. Since the decision of the Montana Supreme Court contradicted the Citizens United ruling, WTP (now…

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Voting: The Ultimate Democratic Experience

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Political Corruption: Roadblocks to Congressional Convictions

Political Corruption: Roadblocks to Congressional Convictions

by Anita

Political corruption has been around for a long time in our country. When it comes to political corruption, Republicans and Democrats are both guilty.  The recent conviction of former Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia on charges of corruption was no surprise to those who had been following the complicated story. The governor and his family traded government “favors” for gifts and…

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SJRes 19 Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing Summary

SJRes 19 Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing Summary

On June 3, 2014, the Senate Judiciary’s subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights held its first hearing on SJRes 19 (a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would allow Congress the ability to regulate all money in elections). With a packed hearing room, several senators made their cases both for and against SJRes 19. There were 3 knowledgeable and accomplished…

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Republicans Who've Spoken Out Against Money in Politics

Republicans Who’ve Spoken Out Against Money in Politics

Last month, Texans United to Amend set up an exhibition table at the Texas State Republican Convention in Ft. Worth (thanks to Mike Badzioch). On one of the days, I helped out. We were all glad to hear that Republican delegates shared the same concerns we had about the influence of too much money in politics. It’s hard to say what percentage of all the delegates agreed with us, but of the…

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Proposed 28th Amendment to the Constitution SJR 19

Proposed 28th Amendment to the Constitution SJR 19

On June 3, 2014, a hearing was held by the Senate Judiciary’s subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights to discuss SJR 19. SJR 19 is a joint resolution, introduced by Senator Tom Udall (New Mexico), proposing a 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would allow Congress and the states to regulate the raising and spending of money in elections.

At that hearing,…

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8 Initiatives to Fight Big Money in Politics - Part 2

8 Initiatives to Fight Big Money in Politics – Part 2

This is a continuation of a prior post concerning initiatives to fight big money in politics.  In that post, 4 initiatives were discussed in which action can be taken to reduce the influence of big money in politics and in our government or, at least, bring attention to that need. This post discusses 4 more initiatives.

5. SEC Regulation

This initiative involves soliciting the Securities and…

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8 Initiatives to Fight Big Money in Politics - Part 1

8 Initiatives to Fight Big Money in Politics – Part 1

According to Lawrence Lessig of Rootstrikers, the biggest obstacle that we face in fighting big money’s influence in our political system and government is notorganized opposition from the other side. It is the pervasive feeling that we are powerless to change this. People think that there isn’t anything they can do to make a difference. If we think like this, nothing will ever change. There were…

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The New Hampshire Rebellion

The New Hampshire Rebellion

Last month, in January, Rootstrikers’ founder Lawrence Lessig led 200 followers from 20 states on a 185-mile march from one end of New Hampshire to the other. The march was the first of others that are planned in the state over the next 2 years by the group New Hampshire Rebellion. The objective of the group is to bring attention to the issue of money in politics and to inspire New Hampshire…

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Is There Systemic Corruption in Our Government?

by Kellye

Lawrence Lessig, founder of Rootstrikers, recently posted some videos (see links below) of U.S. senators debating whether our government has been corrupted by the influence of big money. The debate centered around whether the whole system is…

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Utah and Arkansas Scandals Involving Money in Politics

Over the last several weeks we’ve seen two more state government high ranking officials resign over alleged campaign finance abuse and other ethics violations. Near the end of November, Utah’s then attorney general, John Swallow, announced his resignation…

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House Republicans Support Campaign Finance Reform

Recent movement on campaign finance reform by Republicans began with state legislatures in 2013. Republican state lawmakers from Texas to Oregon have seen a need for change. This change is now making its way to the U.S. House of Representatives. There…

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Will Proposed IRS Rules for 501(c)4 Groups Really Make a Difference?

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, a joint press release from the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service revealed that they are proposing new standards for 501(c)4 organizations. This move comes after accusations in the spring of 2013 that…

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Quid pro quo: The McDonnell Scandal

On October 16, 2013 a federal appeals court refused to allow Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell to shield e-mails from a grand jury subpoena. This decision was just one more step in the scandal which broke earlier this year.

Money in politics can take two…

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Republican Support Grows Against Citizens United and Dark Money

In case you didn’t know, there have been 5 states in 2013 that have passed resolutions calling on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment overturning the Citizens Uniteddecision. These 5 states are Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Oregon, and West Virginia.…

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McCutcheon v. FEC -- the next Citizens United?

Stephen Spaulding, of Common Cause and the Hill’s Congress blog, recently addressed the latest threat to the fight to get money out of politics.

On Tuesday, October 8, 2013, the Supreme Court is slated to hear arguments in the case of McCutcheon v. FEC.…

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Highlights of Campaign Finance Part 3

by Kellye

Before the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) was passed in 2002, both political parties were diverting unlimited “soft money” donations into federal elections. This was in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) which…

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