CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT…IDEA OF THE MONTH…MONEY ON MY MIND…QUOTE OF THE MONTH…FIGHTING BIG MONEY…LOBBYISTS, MONEY & LEGISLATION…FACTS YOU CAN USE…
CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT
Democracy Matters students at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania have started off the year flying! They’ve organized voter registration drives, successfully targeting first year students, many of whom have joined DM. They are co-hosting Presidential Debate parties with their Political Science department. And at a Common Cause conference on millennials, Gettysburg DMers presented their plans to get students out to vote.
There’s more….With “social media storms,” the chapter is asking their Congressional representatives to support the movement to get big money out of politics. And in the week before the November election, they are staging outdoor improv theater events – “Auctioning off the White House” to the highest corporate bidder! Go Gettysburg DM!
IDEA OF THE MONTH
Halloween, only a week before Election Day, is a great time to get creative in reminding everyone to vote. Here are just a few ideas from past DM chapters:
- Dress up in costumes related to voting.
- Create improv theater outside.
- Set up a soap box with DMers in costume to talk about issues in the election.
- Have an open mic where students can share why they will be voting.
- Table with white boards or sheets of paper for students to write why they care about voting (then take their pictures to post on social media).
- Make a video of students talking about the election issues most important to them.
- Use social media to create funny Halloween-related reasons to vote.
Read more about soap box speak outs.
MONEY ON MY MIND
In yet another money and politics scandal, leaked documents have linked Wisconsin’s Governor Scott Walker to the illegal use of “dark money.” As these scandals continue to pile up, it is clear that public funding of election campaign is the only way to free candidates from depending on rich donors. As Jay Mandle’s column argues: “The rich are prepared to invest a lot to defend their interests; the people of the country will have to be convinced to do the same.”
Read the full article and explore other issues of MOMM.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“She [Clinton] has said one of the first three pieces of legislation that she’s going to push in the first 100 days of her administration is to dramatically change the way campaigns are financed. This is fundamentally about reform and transparency.”
Vice-Presidential Candidate Tim Kaine
Interview on Meet the Press, Sept. 18
WHO WILL FIGHT BIG MONEY?
Led by our allies at Common Cause, thousands of Americans are calling on their Congressional candidates to pledge support for voting rights, publicly-financed election campaigns, overturning Citizens United and more.
The “Fighting Big Money” agenda is a comprehensive plan to restore democracy. Urge your Congressional representatives to support a democracy of, by and for the people by clicking on the link below!
See Where Your Candidates Stand.
LOBBYISTS, MONEY & LEGISLATION
It ‘s long been known that lobbyists and groups like ALEC write legislation. Then the politicians they support with campaign contributions introduce the bills as their own. But it’s rare that a member of Congress under investigation for ethics violations offers that as an excuse! Read on…
“U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, a Texas Republican under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, asserted that he did nothing wrong when he offered an amendment that would benefit car dealers – despite the fact that he himself is a car dealer. Instead, Williams revealed that he offered the amendment at the behest of a lobbyist. And the lobbyist – whose employer, the National Automobile Dealers Association, is one of the Congressman’s top donors – was even kind enough to send along “proposed language” for the text of the amendment.”
Read more about Rep. Williams.
Read about the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council.
FACTS YOU CAN USE: MONEY IN POLITICS
so far…
- Projected cost of 2016 election – $8 Billion.
- 0.38% of US population gives 70.3% of total campaign contributions.
- Most expensive Congressional race so far: US Senate from Florida – $40.3 Million.
- Senate incumbent’s average fundraising – $10.2 Million.
- Senate challenger’s average fundraising – $1.2 Million.
- Total business contributions* – $2.1 Billion (73.7% of all donations).
- Total labor contributions* – $108 Million (3.8% of all donations).
*Contributions from individuals connected to industry, business or labor.
As of FEC report Sept. 17, 2016
Source: www. opensecrets.org
To honor our 2016 activists, we list ten Democracy Matters chapters in each E-News:
Iona College…Keene State College…Marygrove College…Mississippi University for Women…North Carolina A&T…Northeastern University…Plymouth State University…Ramapo College…Simmons College…Skidmore College…