Change Congress

For the last week we've received some interesting emails and comments from our members about Change Congress's stance on Obama's decision to opt out of public financing. Our basic response is one echoed by some' pundits and those working in the reform movement over the last two decades. It's a tough situation for any candidate to be in. The current public finance system is a mess and desperately needs to be overhauled. Public financing is only one piece of the overall campaign reform puzzle, yet, a vital one. The recent dancing around public funding by McCain and Obama is a situation that no candidate should have to be in -- choosing between a broken system that could cost them the election while gaining positive press or being called a "flip flopper" for opting out of that same broken system.

The current public financing system fails to address major loopholes abused by both parties over the past twenty years. Until this needed reform happens, we're foolish to think that any candidates able to raise more on their own would ever opt-in to a broken system that could end up costing them a victory down the line.

The Big Loophole - the explosion of 527 groups over the past ten years has given rise to the nastiest negative campaigning we have seen in our time. On both sides of the aisle 527 groups have made it their raison d'etre to challenge and accuse candidates not in line with their political ideals, launching powerful, well-funded attacks that can single-handedly change the outcome of an election. While many of these groups do not (and indeed by law cannot) work with or coordinate with a campaign, they are often ideologically aligned with one candidate and are often staffed with members of the same political party

The Big Flaw - the $84 million that public financing offers is not enough to run a presidential campaign in this economy. The problem is not that there is too much money in politics, rather that there is too much of the wrong kind of money in politics -- money from lobbyists and PAC organizations, people who expect favors later on. If we want a public financing system to be legitimate we have to honestly address the shortfalls that this sum of money leaves in its wake; the cost of national advertising on television, radio and internet being a major one. Or the cost of employing a national grassroots staff working in every state in the country. The public financing offer from the government should be realistic compared with the costs of a presidential campaign. If we want candidates to buy into the system, make them a decent offer. They aren't going to accept a used Chevy Malibu when they can buy a new Ferrari with their own money.

Pundits on the right say Obama is a hypocrite, given his pledge to accept public funding earlier in the campaign and then recently deciding not to. Both candidates could be called as such. McCain gladly accepted public financing during the Republican primaries when he was losing and broke, and then petitioned the Federal Election Commission to opt back out when he was winning and wealthy (and now he's opting back IN). Neither are wrong, they are simply doing the expected political shifting based on our broken system.

I can't wait for the day when a well-crafted, mutually agreed-upon, public financing system is finally ready to be implemented. But that day will come only after enough of us stand up to change that system by making it possible for politicians who fight for issues like public financing to win office and take this change to Washington. Change Congress is about working with you and other organizations dedicated to reforming this system from the inside out. The current system isn't working for the people, so it must be changed by the people from the bottom up. You can help, be a part of our movement, help us re-build this broken system. Join us! Its only our government if we work to reclaim it.

Big news coming from the DNC this evening as Barack Obama, the Democrat's presumed nominee for 2008, made it crystal clear how seriously his party will take addressing corruption inside the beltway.

"We will not take a dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs," he said. "They will not fund our campaign, they will not run our party, they will not drown out the voices of the American people."

Not only has Obama's campaign taken this pledge but now so has the Democratic Party.

This is good news and a big step forward for Change Congress' goals. Having one of this country's two leading parties refuse donations from PACs and registered lobbyists is a defining moment. This is where we should be heading to keep this government free from special interest control and corruption. Whether or not Democratic candidates will follow the lead of the DNC is yet to be seen and is the real test behind this proclamation, where the rubber meets the road.

However, there is still work to be done. We hope that John McCain and the Republican National Committee will respond in similar fashion, but as of yet there is no official word.

We've got a few candidates (four in total) running in Illinois and this little tidbit of news caught my eye today.

After years of languishing in the Illinois legislature, a campaign finance law that would limit pay-to-play politics is moving rapidly. The Senate could vote this week on House Bill 824. Its key provision bans people or businesses that do $50,000 or more in business with the state from donating to the campaign of the official who controls the contract. In other words, it's designed to stop the kind of influence peddling that allegedly has occurred in Gov. Rod Blagojeivich's administration.

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These are baby steps. We need giant leaps forward. Even Governor Blagojevich has hinted at vetoing the bill, saying it doesn't go far enough in instituting real reform. This is ironic coming from the elected official who's "pay-to-play" allegations are what triggered the bill initially. Whether its a stalling tactic to "protect a practice at the core of [his] unprecedented fundraising success," is debatable.

Meanwhile, the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (non-partisan) says "the reform community is encouraged" by the new legislation. Supporting organizations supporters include Citizen Action Illinois, the Better Government Association, the Citizen Advocacy Center, Common Cause Illinois, Illinois PIRG, the League of Women Voters of Illinois and Protestants for the Common Good.

Hopefully, this will lead to more action on campaign finance reform within Illinois and will trickle up. If it doesn't, this type of legislation won't keep people from finding loopholes in the near future. Illinois has to build off of this, as we all do.

Democrat Darcy Burner is causing a ruckus out in Washington state. She has raised over $516K in the first quarter this year, dramatically out pacing the Republican incumbent Dave Reichert for what looks to be a fourth consecutive quarter. Here's the kicker: more than 88% of her donations are from individuals, not from PACs or political parties. She has over 8,800 donors who have only given an average of $156, which means the room for growth within her existing donor pool is (probably) much deeper than Reichert's.

This is exactly the type of change that Change Congress is talking about. Its already happening. People are standing behind, supporting and giving money to candidates who recognize that Washington is broken and needs to be fixed. Darcy is proof of the tidal wave of change that is sweeping this country be it at the national level or at the district level. Those of you in the Washington 8th let us know how things are going.