News

Additional Evidence Provided to IRS to Show Groups Not Entitled to Claim 501(c)(4) Tax Status; Secretly-Funded Political Party Could Decide Outcome of Presidential Election

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In a letter sent today to the IRS, Democracy 21, joined by the Campaign Legal Center, submitted additional information to the IRS to demonstrate that Americans Elect, the American Action Network and Crossroads GPS are not entitled to section 501(c)(4) tax status and therefore are not entitled to keep their donors secret on that basis. […]

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Reform Groups Call on Senate Committee to Send the “STOCK Act” Tomorrow to the Senate Floor

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Below is a letter sent by a coalition of reform groups including Democracy 21 to Chairman Joseph Lieberman and Ranking Member Susan Collins of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in support of the “Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act,” (STOCK Act). The letter called on the Committee to report the bill […]

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Reform Groups to Republican House Leadership: Move the STOCK Act Forward; Prevent Congressional Insider Trading

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Democracy 21 joined with other reform groups today in calling on the House Republican leadership to allow the House to act on the STOCK Act to prohibit insider trading by members of Congress. House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor reportedly forced House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Spencer Bachus to cancel a full committee markup […]

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Teddy Roosevelt and his 1910 “New Nationalism” Speech, A Call to Arms Against Corporate Money in Federal Elections

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Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer Yesterday, President Barack Obama traveled to Osawatomie, Kansas to make a major speech on his economic policies. According to today’s Washington Post, President Obama went to Osawatomie to invoke Teddy Roosevelt and a speech he made there in 1910 that became known as Roosevelt’s “New Nationalism” speech. As […]

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Democracy 21 Joins With Reform Groups in Call for Passage of the “STOCK” Act to End Congressional Insider Trading

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Today, Democracy 21 joined with a coalition of reform groups in again calling for passage of the “Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act,” the “STOCK Act.” The groups sent a letter to the House and Senate calling for swift passage of the Act, designed to prevent Congressional insider trading. According to Democracy 21 President Fred […]

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FEC Deadlocks on Advisory Opinion Request from American Crossroads, Provides No Support for Crossroads to Run “Fully Coordinated” Ads

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In a 3 to 3 decision today, the FEC refused to give approval to the effort by American Crossroads to run ads “fully coordinated” with candidates and have the ads treated as ads that were not coordinated with the candidates under campaign finance laws. This means that if American Crossroads proceeds to run any ad […]

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Reform Groups Urge Representatives to Vote No Tomorrow on H.R. 3463 to Repeal the Presidential Public Financing System and Terminate the Election Assistance Commission

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Americans for Campaign Reform – Brennan Center for Justice  Campaign Legal Center – Common Cause – CREW Democracy 21 – League of Women Voters – People For the American Way Public Campaign – Public Citizen – U.S. PIRG   In a letter sent to House members today, reform groups urged Representatives to vote against legislation […]

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American Crossroads’ Attempted “Poof” Scam

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How does political operative Karl Rove’s brainchild, American Crossroads, take a self-described “fully coordinated” ad with a candidate and turn it into an uncoordinated ad? American Crossroads says, “poof” you’re an uncoordinated ad. And then it goes to the dysfunctional Federal Election Commission with this mind-boggling magic trick and counts on at least three of […]

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Democracy 21 Joins with Reform Groups in Call for House Judiciary to Pass “Clean Up Government Act” Tomorrow

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Today, Democracy 21 joined with other reform groups to urge members of  the House Committee on the Judiciary to pass the bipartisan “Clean Up Government Act of 2011” (H.R. 2572).   This critical legislation would, among other things, restore important tools for federal prosecutors fighting public corruption by strengthening the Honest Services and illegal gratuities […]

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Talking Points Memo: FEC To Tell Mike Lee He Can’t Form His Very Own Super PAC

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Ryan J. Reilly  The Federal Election Commission is set to tell Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), a member of the Tea Party Caucus, that he can’t become the first politician in the country to form his very own “super PAC” during their public meeting next week. A draft ruling posted by the FEC on Wednesday in […]

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