March 2011 Enews

IN THIS ISSUE:
CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT…WOMEN AND DEMOCRACY… OUR ALUMNS…MONEY ON MY MIND…WISCONSIN AND MORE…FACTS YOU CAN USE…

CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT – WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

Wesleyan Democracy Matters and its campus coordinator, Corey Guilmette, are bringing fair elections to their campus. They were concerned that some students had gained an advantage in student government elections by spending more money than other students could afford. So they petitioned the student government to pass a resolution – a “student campaign financing bill” – that would level the playing field and ensure that every student had an equal opportunity to run for office regardless of their financial resources. DM members prepared an extensive grassroots campaign and also a lobbying strategy. They planned an online and a paper petition, flyers, banners, op-ed pieces, and listserv blasts to the student body both to solicit their opinions and gain support for their resolution. And they met with members of the student government, lobbying them to make elections more fair and inclusive. Corey writes, “It will be voted on next week and I am sure it will pass!”
Congratulations to the Wesleyan Democracy Matters chapter for great organizing. And now Gus Voss at Democracy Matters/Boise State in Idaho has begun petitioning his student government for fair elections too!
Read more here.

WOMEN AND DEMOCRACY

As in previous years, Democracy Matters students are celebrating Women’s History Month in March, as well as International Women’s Day on March 8th. The bravery of women in Egypt, Bahrain, Libya and other countries has made this year’s commemoration particularly moving. These young women have demonstrated once again that women’s political activism is an important part of the creation and preservation of democracy. They join others who for centuries have fought for their rights both as women and as citizens.
Democracy Matters’ events will not only remember what has been accomplished by women and their male allies, but also point out the continuing fight for women’s equality in our own country. Women today make up only a small percentage of our elected representatives. Raising enough money is one of the major barriers facing women candidates. As DM students join with others this March, they will have a unique message to share – that in states like Maine, Arizona and Connecticut, publicly financed elections have empowered more women to run for and win elections. And those women don‘t depend on wealthy special interests. Now that’s something to celebrate!
See Women’s History Month Campaign ideas.

SO PROUD OF OUR ALUMNS!

Democracy Matters alumns continue to do awesome work to deepen democracy after they graduate. Here are just two examples:
Cody Meador, Southern Methodist University ‘10: In 2008, Cody founded and coordinated the SMU Democracy Matters chapter in Dallas. Although she is now busy teaching 9th grade English with “Teach for America,” Cody has found time to serve as Vice President of the Board of “Clean Elections Texas” – a grassroots group working to pass a public financing option for candidates for state offices. Cody writes that she and Veronica Davis – also a DM alum – are excited that their organization is “raising money and creating materials so we can start having house parties around the state to educate folks about clean elections.”
Shannon Fritts-Penniman, St Lawrence, ’05: After serving as Campus Coordinator at St. Lawrence in Canton, NY, Shannon went on to Law School, “because I wanted to learn how to change the system and pass new laws. Campaign finance was one of the issues motivating me. Now I am figuring out how best to use my law degree to promote progressive policies.” Shannon is currently treasurer for the Greater Boulder, CO Greens. He writes, “One of our primary issue campaigns this year is to get the City Council to pass a resolution in favor of a Constitutional Amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision. Our group fully supports the Democracy Matters agenda.”
We’re proud of Cody and Shannon for building on the work they started with Democracy Matters! Stay tuned for other exciting news from DM alumns.

MONEY ON MY MIND

In this month’s column, Jay Mandle explores how much democracy matters in the Middle East. Citing Arab public opinion polls, he notes strong support for the values of democracy and freedom. But there are at the same time very strong negative sentiments concerning American government policy in the region. He concludes that American policy should be more consistent in its support of democracy than has been true of our government’s measured approach to Middle East insurgencies.
Read the full article and explore other issues of MOMM.

WISCONSIN AND MORE…

Quoting our allies at Public Campaign: “What is happening in Wisconsin is not just about unions and not just about Wisconsin. It’s about whether well-funded corporate special interests will succeed, state after state, in their efforts to damage, dismantle and defund their political opponents.” Billionaire oil executives Charles and David Koch were among the biggest contributors to the campaign of Wisconsin’s Governor Walker (though they don’t live in Wisconsin). Now it is payback time – for Walker and others the Kochs have funded around the country – with a vicious attack on working people.
DM students in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois have been passing out information on campus and at rallies urging others to join them in supporting a real democracy – one in which candidates can be independent of wealthy special interests by running for office with public financing.
Their outreach echoes the words of Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize Winner and New York Times columnist, who sums up the threat this way: “What Mr. Walker and his backers are trying to do is make Wisconsin – and eventually America – less of a democracy and more of a third-world style oligarchy.” Democracy Matters students want a government of, by and for the people; not the corporations.
Read Krugman’s editorial here.

FACTS YOU CAN USE: Freshmen Lawmakers Learn the Facts of Life in Washington, DC

The New York Times recently reported that 13 newly elected Republican members of Congress who have been given seats on the Armed Services Committee wasted no time in “cozying up to the power of deep-pocketed special interests.” Less than a month after they took office, they attended a fundraiser with representatives of the defense industry, soliciting large donations for their re-election campaigns in 2014. The minimum contribution for the event for each corporate representative was $5,000. They have already learned that “pay to play” is the most important game in Washington!
Read the New York Times editorial.

To honor our 2011 DMers we list 10 DM chapters in each E-News.
DeAnza College…Gustavus Adolphus College…Indiana University Bloomington…Iona College…Laney Community College…Manhattan College…Marquette University…Northern Illinois University…Pennsylvania State University…Queens College…
More Campus Chapters.