Forum Post: Buy Back the Vote!

Campaign Finance Reform. Boom!

All of the successful protest movements of the 20th century in the U.S. had a very clear and concise goal. The civil rights movement had integration. The counter culture movement of the 60's wanted to end the Vietnam War. The Women's Suffrage movement wanted women to vote. The Anti-Saloon league wanted prohibition of alcohol.

Wayne Wheeler of the Anti-Saloon league, was known for insisting on a very clear and singular goal to the exclusion of all else, a constitutional amendment prohibiting the sale of alcohol. His model for political influence through demonstration has been replicated over, and again. The prohibition movement might have been misguided, but no one could argue that it wasn't successful.

Could it be, that it is time for OWS to focus? I believe many more people would become active, if a singular goal could be devised.

Campaign Finance Reform!

Many Americans could line up behind getting the big money out of politics, I think.

What if we only allowed any one person to donate up to $100 to any political campaign, or political organization? Let corporations act as people, but they can only donate $100. What if we banned political advertising, and only allowed weekly televised debates, that are sponsored by the government. The airwaves belong to the people, after all. What if those debates were required viewing in every high school in the U.S.? Civics class, right? What if all congress people had to live and work in the district that they represent? This is the age of communication after all. What if congress people had to register and publish the names of anyone they met with from outside their district? I'm sure that there are many other things we could do to take big $$, and influence out of our political system. I don't believe we will accomplish much else, until we get the big $$ out of our government.

What I am saying is that, imho, OWS needs a clear goal complete with a kick ass sound bite! Americans only respond to sound bites.

Any good sound bite is concise, crunchy, and tastes good with ketchup. “BUY BACK the VOTE.”