Forum Post: OWS' Primary Issue: Campaign Finance Reform
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 18, 2011, 11:34 a.m. EST by TheMismatch
(50)
from Lafayette, IN
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Hello, everyone. I'd like to discuss what I believe is Occupy's biggest issue- and, at the moment, its biggest weakness. In short: Campaign Finance.
First, however, I'd like to say this: I recognize that we've only been around for a month, and that we're still figuring things out. I realize that we're bringing together a large number of people, with many different goals and beliefs. This stimulates debate and conversation, and that's a good thing. However, as both supporters and detractors seem to acknowledge, a movement without a set agenda will only last so long. I think there are a few more weeks in which Occupy can grow without defining a set list of "official grievances", but going beyond that risks becoming so all-inclusive that the movement collapses under its own weight, fragmenting into many smaller groups... none of which will have the power that the larger movement commanded.
So, that being said, I think Occupy has to come to terms with setting a single, primary goal. We've got to be able to define what it is we want, first and foremost, so that we can easily explain to the country at large what, specifically, we want. If we have to take five minutes getting to the point (like my post has thus far), we risk losing their attention. We risk making it sound like we don't know what we want, or that we're unorganized (and thus, illegitimate).
What is that goal? Campaign Finance reform.
It has to be campaign finance reform. There's no other issue more important to our goals. Why? Because without it, there's no way to prevent the 1% from buying our democracy out from under us. Without representatives and senators we can trust, we can't believe any campaign-trail promises to impose environmental protections; to protect the separation of church and state; to impose regulations on Wall Street, the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry... essentially, without transparent funding of a congressman's campaign, there is no way to be sure exactly who he or she is really beholden to. And without that, every other issue we support -every single one- goes out the window.
We need trustworthy congresspeople in order to effect change on any of our other issues; this is the price of a Republic. We must be able to see exactly who has contributed, in no uncertain terms, which corporations, PACs, or private individuals gave money to a campaign. I'm no economist; I can't say exactly what regulations I'd impose, beyond undoing the damage of Citizens United. But I do know that we have to have our message compact enough to fit the attention span of America.
It's campaign finance reform, or it's go home. None of this protesting means anything if we can't trust the people we elect; if we can't insure that this recession can't happen again.
This is the only thing our government can agree on. Taking the BIG money!
This is beyond party affiliation! We need to get the money out of the political system. We have to stop going in cirlces with ourselves about Republican/Democrat, Capitalism/Socialism.
We need to go official and public with a message of equal and fair representation in government to take this to the next level.
though i agree campaign finance reform is at the top, what you suggest in saying OWS needs to be defined soon is wrong i also see trying to force demands is a trick propeled by the 1% and the part of the media that wants to keep the status quo to put OWS in a box. They already knows what is being brought to light by this movment and if they can put us their box we can be chipped away thru our own words, you have to remember always: they do not want change and they are not stupid, also they've been at this alot longer than we have.
Even if there is fragmentation between different the occupy's across America and the world the core ideals will remain and with the internet to keep us all in touch there will be no collapse. change may take yrs, i've been waiting for this for near 30 yrs, a few more ain't gonna kill me, i believe we need to continue as we have and though i really don't like to admit it but, the election 13 months away is our biggest hurdle and we all need to be on the same page come next Nov.
Broadcasters are really stupid people and they have a huge audience who believes their crap..
http://overthecoals.blogspot.com/
Job boom plan for America
For the protest to guarantee winning the next election the plan needs to be force the multinationals to buy all their supplies made by American workers. Prevent any imports from China and known slave states from being unloaded. The 13th amendment abolished slavery. Having slave made goods in America is unconstitutional.
Unions should have their own pay scale. Any workers who don't want to join the union will need to negotiate their own pension, their own wages, their own health care.
End all tax deductions or tax credits and use a sales tax to collect taxes so even criminals will pay their taxes. Eliminate the entire IRS which would save $400 billion annually.
To refuse to vote for that platform would be stupid and insane.The privileged keep ripping all the rest of us off and we are morons allowing that to happen. Any person against this plan is sabotaging the OWS protest and needs to be heard. Let's hear any reason to oppose this end globalization screw job.
Um... "forcing the multinationals" to buy American goods isn't exactly what I think we're going for, here. We can't "force" another country to buy our products; we have to be competitive. For that to happen, there'd have to be a combination of regulatory overhauls, trade agreements, and a re-tooling of our manufacturing/R&D sectors- and I don't claim to know the specifics of what those changes would have to be, but I imagine people who're in-the-know would start there.
As far as non-union workers negotiating their own pay and so forth... I doubt that would work. That's the point of a union; to give strength to people who'd normally be powerless in the face of their employer. Especially in this economy, if a lone worker tried to negotiate for a good employment package, the employer could easily tell them to hit the bricks in favor of someone who'd be much less picky. That's why the unions are so critical (though I admit that in some, such as teachers unions, things like Tenure have to be seriously re-examined).
Personally I like certain tax deductions; charitable donations, green-energy related costs... but if I had to give those up to end the tax deductions and government subsidies to Big Agribusiness and Oil, I'd probably be ok with it.
Steve, I think you're wrong when you say "to refuse to vote for that platform would be stupid and insane". I think there are some kernels of good ideas in your platform but you take it too far and go down a certain route... I'm not sure how many Americans would be willing to follow you down that path. It sounds extremely isolationist, and quite frankly, quite naive to assume that you can reverse globalization. That genie is out of the bottle and we can't go around pretending it's not.
I'm all for stimulating debate, but when I see you post your ideas and claim anyone who disagrees with you is "stupid" or "brainwashed", you come across as quite childish. That sort of tone does nothing for the movement.
Your reading comprehension is defective.
My plan doesn't force any other country to do anything. I'll leave it at that.
Americans are on a direct path for self destruction. They are all in a trance. Informed people would never do these things unless they are in a trance.
Falling into the propaganda trap is exactly why OWS is sitting in the park all day with signs.
A 3rd party takes hard work. Sitting in the park is lazy. Its OK for phase 1. Let's move to phase 2 -- NOW.
We have been noticed … and while we have the world’s attention let’s not squander the opportunity.
We now need to focus … focus on how government and fairness in this country can be returned and belong to everyone not just an elite governing few.
We need a position – a unifying theme – something that everyone will get behind … something that people can grasp and something that the 1% will understand.
If we wish to win.. and to win long term, we must settle on the most important change we wish to achieve. Preferably it is one that everyone who is not one of the 1% agrees with.
Very seldom are there situations where virtually everyone agrees the same change needs to happen. If we press a platform that is diverse then we will be opening ourselves to division within ourselves, and as result providing those who have every incentive for the current rules to stay unchanged - weak points for them to exploit.
Remember united we stand and divided we fall.
Does everyone believe Student Loans should be forgiven? No! Does everyone believe we should simply withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan? No! Does everyone oppose the NRA? No! Does everyone believe in a women’s right to choose? No! Should they? That is a different question. To have such debates and to be part of the debate we need first to get back the government of our country! We will not do this if we list many many demands. We will not move forward because we will be endlessly debating amongst ourselves. Save those debates for later – later until there can be a real debate - rather than simply rules and stances decreed by those who weigh everything with a single criterion – namely “what’s in it for me!”
Currently the 1% does not take us seriously – they have hunkered down and are waiting for this surge to fizzle and burn out. We too will likely tire if we do not have a understandable major goal - a shining beacon to carry forward.
Beware of those who were initially critical and deriding of us – and yet are now those who position themselves as our champions. I do not want to be lectured to as to how we need to act because we don’t understand the political process – especially by those who for years have been at the beck and call of the 1%. I don’t want headlines blaring forth our victory only to find whatever we thought we had achieved is whittled away in a legislative process.
The legislation that becomes law should be a law for the 100%.
I plead with everyone who is part of or considering to be part of this movement – put aside issues that divide us – adopt the incontrovertible single point and aim of what I believe we all demand. Let’s get our government back!
To start, let’s not wait until next year to hold a National Meeting, let’s challenge our elected representatives NOW! If Grover Norquist can require all Republicans to sign a pledge to never raise taxes – then we can ask and expect that every representative, every senator, every governor, every mayor, and in fact every elected official sign a pledge that they will not take money from any corporation, PAC, organization, and that they will only accept a maximum of $500.00 (the amount is not significant it could be $100 or $1,000) per individual. Let’s make sure that those who do not sign on to the pledge will not receive one vote the next time they run for office, and anyone who is elected and who has accepted monies from other than individuals will face a recall.
This will be the start – let’s have our elected officials declare – go on record – as to where they stand – let’s make them go public so we can create a bulletin of shame . Let’s also make it clear that any company, PAC, Union, organization and/or individual who in the past has donated (either transparently or otherwise) more than the threshold we agree on, that will now not sign our pledge to limit what they provide and to cease and desist lobbying – they too will be put onto the Wall of Shame and will suffer the isolation and of boycotts until they do sign on.
While we do all this we need to keep in mind that we live in a democracy – or at least wish to. In the society we live in we need to respect that we will have differences of opinion. We must make it clear that the expression of one’s views is still everyone’s right.
I will be the first to sign the pledge …. Will you join me .. and demand that every elected official declare themselves to be with us … or not .. and that they doo so publicly.
Yours truly,
Alex P
I'm not a big fan of making people sign pledges. I heard a while back, though I unfortunately can't remember where, that a lot of the conservatives who signed Norquist's pledge wish they hadn't. Pledges and binding oaths and all that other garbage lock people into doing things that might turn out to be not all that great. I'd rather have an electorate that can admit that it was wrong and change course.
I do think that there should be some donations that can be anonymous- say, under $1000.00 for a single person, and maybe $5000.00 for a company/PAC. That's enough money without being too much, in my opinion (though I'm far from an economist).
As I said, I think that having a list of grievances is a good thing, but we need The Big One (so to speak) out front so that people can easily recognize what, specifically, we want changed. After that is when we can go into the specifics of what else we want done. But campaign finance reform has to be the issue we lead with.
you know the primaries are coming up - should there be an occupyaprimary movement to go in and throw these people out, and put in someone who the GA agrees upon to change these laws?
I think a physical presence at primaries might not hurt, but I also think our presence is going to be felt there even if we're not setting up tents right next to Mitt Romney's podium. But who knows- maybe we'll end up sending a contingent out there to make a bit of noise.
Absolutely but you named it wrong.
Failure to create a 3rd party is because all Americans including the OWS people are in the propaganda media trance that has all Americans convinced that a 3rd party is impossible. Complete ignorance to this propaganda is missing from OWS.
It is ridiculous to suggest bribe (CAMPAIGN FINANCE) reform.
For 3 decades they keep claiming to do this and all you people can't catch on to the bribes is their reason for living. They love their bribes.
Only public funding with no ads from anybody (an obvious bribe) will prevent bribes.
The OWS ignoring bribery -- proves they are in the same deep trance as the rest of Americans. read more http://overthecoals.blogspot.com/
Job boom plan for America
For the protest to guarantee winning the next election the plan needs to be force the multinationals to buy all their supplies made by American workers. Prevent any imports from China and known slave states from being unloaded. The 13th amendment abolished slavery. Having slave made goods in America is unconstitutional.
Unions should have their own pay scale. Any workers who don't want to join the union will need to negotiate their own pension, their own wages, their own health care.
End all tax deductions or tax credits and use a sales tax to collect taxes so even criminals will pay their taxes. Eliminate the entire IRS which would save $400 billion annually.
To refuse to vote for that platform would be stupid and insane.
Well, I don't believe you can go and say "nobody except the candidates themselves can craft political ads anymore". That much is getting in the way of free speech. I would like to see a matching system, where a candidate without much money gets as much airtime as those with money- that could, at least, level the playing field and reduce the influence of Big Money in the elections.
Bribes are not free speech
Threats are not free speech
Lies are not free speech
You're brainwashed. Every person can speak all they want to anybody they want. Corporate executives using the shareholders money can't have an advantage over everybody else's free speech. Ads by profits or nonprofits will be a criminal charge for rigging the election.
That's an extremely cynical point of view. Ads can bring attention to issues that people didn't even know existed, but that still have bearing on their lives. Take the ad by the post office recently; it informs people that the reason the Postal Service is billions in the hole is that they're required to pre-pay for health care costs, even if they don't end up using what they pay for that year. So they have all this money that they could re-invest into their services, which could cover the cost of all the workers that'll be laid off otherwise... but Congress isn't allowing them to. How many people knew that before?
Ads can serve a beneficial purpose.
Its accurate, not cynical. Please consider the propaganda trance, bottomless pit of lies you keep ignoring.