Major Scandals Lead To Major Reforms
FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | October 4, 2018
“If Democrats win control of the House in November, the fight to enact sweeping campaign finance and other democracy reforms will begin immediately.”
A powerful new force emerged on the scene today to challenge the role money and special interests are playing in undermining citizen faith in the system and to demand Congress pass campaign finance and other democracy reforms.
In a letter distributed by End Citizens United for them, 107 House Democratic challengers wrote to all Members of the House that “reforms must be sweeping, and they must be bold. They must be the very first item Congress addresses [in 2019].”
According to End Citizens United, the signers of the letter to Congress include 76 percent of candidates running in the most competitive House races, as identified by The Cook Report.
The letter listed a number of reforms called for by the signers, including “limiting the influence of big donors on campaigns, quashing the political influence, real or perceived, special interests currently have in our government, and providing incentives for donors to make small contributions to federal candidates.”
The letter is an unprecedented step by these congressional challengers, who are on the front lines and who recognize and share the deep concerns of the American people about the breakdown of our political system.
A recent poll found that citizens have named corruption in Washington as the “most important” topic for 2018 candidates to discuss.
The reality is that there will be no solution to the corruption problems in Washington until a new system is created to provide federal candidates with an alternative way to finance their campaigns without becoming obligated to the influence-seeking funders who dominate the financing of our elections.
If Democrats win control of the House in November, the fight to enact sweeping campaign finance and other democracy reforms will begin immediately. The House Democratic challengers signing today’s letter who get elected will be leading the charge.
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Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections. See previous Notes from Fred here.
