ENEWS
 A MESSAGE FROM ADONAL It’s 2024, and again we find ourselves facing the most important presidential election of our lifetimes. The outcome of November 5th will decide so much – whether or not our government will act to effectively tackle climate change, work to restore women’s reproductive rights, and end the shame of voter suppression by expanding voting rights. But that’s not all. The coming election will determine the critical question of whether our democracy itself will survive. We at DM pledge to do everything in our power throughout 2024 to successfully spread the word about what’s at stake in November, to register new voters and to get them to the polls. DM NATIONAL SUMMIT Join us on February 4th at 3 pm (eastern) for an exciting virtual conference with DM staff, members, and friends. Brainstorm with students from across the country. Hear from experts about the critical issues facing all of us. Share best practices for campus organizing, voter registration, and increasing student political engagement. Register today!To receive a Summit zoom invite, send your name and contact information to joanm@democracymatters.org. STUDENT LOAN GOOD NEWS Despite the active opposition of the Supreme Court and Congressional Republicans, millions of Americans continue to be freed from their crushing student loans. In its on-going action, the Biden Administration has already canceled over $136 billion in student debt for 3.7 million people. Additional millions have found relief through “SAVE,” the Administration’s program to reduce monthly payments and shorten the life of their federal loans. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/19/us/politics/biden-student-loan-debt.html IDEAS of the MONTH Black History DM honors Black History Month throughout February, joining with other campus groups to both organize discussions about continued attacks on African-American and others’ voting rights, and to take action to counter voter suppression. Valentine “Democracy” Day DMers will mark February 14th by sending V-cards to thank elected officials who support the Congressional “Freedom to Vote Act.” Members of Congress who refuse to support voting rights will also receive Valentines from DM, but theirs will demand that they vote to expand voting rights. Go to https://www.democracymatters.org/action-campaigns for more great organizing ideas .QUOTES of the MONTH “There are two things important in politics. The first is money, and I can’t remember what the second is.” Senator Mark Hanna “We must make our choice. We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few. But we can’t have both.” Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis CLIMATE CHANGE, MONEY, POLITICS Big money campaign donations by wealthy individuals and corporations hamstring government efforts to mitigate climate change. But with US greenhouse gas emissions now the highest in the world, it is only by government treating mitigation as a public good that we can hope to see global warming slowed. https://www.democracymatters.org/money_on_my_mind/climate-change-money-politics FACTS YOU CAN USE Citizens United Continues Big Money Deluge January 21st marked 14 years since the Supreme Court opened the floodgates to allow even more big money to influence our elections. The Court’s decision in Citizens United enabled unlimited political spending by wealthy SuperPacs, corporations and other outside groups. In 2022, just 21 fa milies gave more than 3.7 million small donors combined. Now, past fundraising records are being shattered as money pours into the 2024 Congressional and presidential races. We’re headed for the most expensive election in history. Over 70% of Americans today want rigorous limits on how much money individuals or groups can spend to obtain political influence. Despite that, the ultra-wealthy show no reluctance to spending millions to buy the 2024 election. Outside spending for the 2024 race has already reached a level more than six times greater than it reached just four years ago in the 2020 presidential election. Only successful public campaign financing programs like those in states like NY, CT, & ME, cities like Los Angeles, New Haven & Portland OR, and 4 Maryland ccounties can counteract the damage done by Citizens United. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/01/outside-spending-on-2024-elections-tops-318-million; https://thehill.com/business/4413959-citizens-united-anniversary-kicks-off-expensive-start-to-2024-election/ |