We have a President hostile to fixing the system and a Congress currently controlled by reform opponents. However, history makes clear that reform issues are cyclical in nature: the kind of scandalous system that exists today has led to major reforms in the past, and can do so again in the future.

Tag Archive for: Democracy Reforms

Spurious Arguments Being Made Against H.R. 1 to Defend Secret “Dark Money” Contributions Spent to Influence Federal Elections

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Enclosed for your information is a piece refuting spurious arguments being made by opponents of H.R. 1 to defend secret contributions. According to the piece: Secret, unlimited contributions made to groups which spend money to influence federal elections are a particularly dangerous means for corrupting government decisions. Without disclosure of these unlimited contributions, there is […]

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The Attacks On HR1 Begin

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FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | February 7, 2019 “Underlying these and other attacks is a simple goal of reform opponents: to allow big money donors to continue secretly injecting large sums into our elections with no public accountability and therefore no way to determine if the donors and the Members who benefit have exchanged large […]

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To end Washington corruption, officeholders and candidates must have a new way to finance their campaigns – Wertheimer op-ed in The Hill

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Enclosed for your information is an opinion piece entitled, “To end Washington corruption, officeholders and candidates must have a new way to finance their campaigns,” which was published here in The Hill on January 30, 2019. According to the piece: If federal officeholders and candidates are not provided with an alternative way to finance their […]

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The Fight For Reforms Begins

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FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | January 9, 2019 “The bottom line is this: we are in this battle for as long as it takes to repair our broken political system and our corrupt campaign finance system.” Yesterday, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) announced that the comprehensive democracy reform legislation he introduced on January 3, the For […]

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Remarks of D21 President Fred Wertheimer at Press Conference to Support H.R. 1 Democracy Reforms (Video included)

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   H.R. 1 reflects the fact that our democracy is at a crossroads. We have a broken political system and a corrupt campaign finance system. The American people know it and strongly object to it. An NBC NEWS/Wall Street Journal poll last fall found that 77 percent of registered voters said “reducing the influence […]

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How to Fix America’s Broken Political System – Eisen & Wertheimer op-ed in Politico

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How to Fix America’s Broken Political System A new bill promises to protect our democracy from its enemies, but foreign and domestic. By Fred Wertheimer and Norman Eisen | January 7 | Politico Much attention has focused on H.R. 1, the comprehensive package of democracy reforms introduced on Thursday by Representative John Sarbanes (D-Md.) on […]

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House Democrats Introduce H.R. 1, Begin Historic Effort to Revitalize our Democracy and Political System

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Led by newly-elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Democrats began an historic effort this week to revitalize our democracy. Introduced yesterday as a first order of business in the new Congress, H.R. 1 is an unprecedented, holistic effort to repair our democracy and political system. Sponsored by Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD), chairman of the […]

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3… 2… 1… The Battle For Reforms Starts Now!

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FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | January 3, 2019 “Democracy 21 does not go into this battle wearing rose-colored glasses. We know the battle will be difficult and take time. We also know that it can be won.” The Democrats’ “Blue Wave” election last November translates into political power today as the 116th Congress is sworn […]

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Trump’s “Anything Goes” Ethics & A Real Reform Opportunity Begins In 2019

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FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | December 20, 2018 “President Trump views the presidency as a vehicle for putting as much money as he can into his own pocket. And his ‘anything goes’ ethics has given us the most ethically-challenged administration in our times.” House Democrats are getting ready to introduce a historic package of democracy […]

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Leading The Battle For Sweeping Reforms

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FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | December 13, 2018 “As we begin the fight next month to revitalize our democracy, we are very fortunate to have future Speaker Nancy Pelosi leading the effort.” With the deal announced yesterday that ensures Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will become House Speaker in the new Congress, the stage is set […]

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