OntheWilderSide

The Fair Elections Now Act is about as appropriately names as the Bush Clean Skies Act or the Bush Leave No Child Behind Act.   It helps the Republicans & Democrats who have been supporting the Bush agenda for the last 6 years get re-elected while putting more onerous requirements in indepedent and third-party candidates  (like Green Party candidates) who have consistently opposed the Bush agenda from meeting the requirements.  All third-party and indepdent candidates have to collect !50% of waht these Bush Republicans and Democrats have to collect to qualify for the same funds.  Tell working assets that you don’t support this.

 
ACTFORCHANGE ACTIVISM UPDATE: July 23, 2007ActForChange and Working Assets are proud to bring you an urgent alert from our friends at the Public Campaign Action Fund, calling on Congress to support the Fair Elections Now Act and establish public financing for congressional campaigns. I urge you to visit the Public Campaign Action Fund site and take action today. Will Easton
Manager, ActForChange.com/Working Assets

Dear friend,

Fair Elections Now!

Elections should be about voters and volunteers, not donors and dollars.  [Then why is there a different set of donations required depending on you party line?]

The recent Presidential fundraising headlines speak for themselves. Candidates are crisscrossing the nation scooping up thousand dollar contributions hoping to meet the $100 million dollar entrance fee for the 2008 elections. In the first six months of this year, the candidates have raised $277 million—more than doubling the record setting pace the 2004 candidates set. Instead of focusing on us and how they can make our lives and America better, campaigns spend almost all of their time trying to figure out how they’re going to hit the $100 million benchmark.

It doesn’t have to be this way.  [No, we can lock out third-parties and indepdents using your tax dollars instead.]

In the seven states and two cities that have enacted Clean Elections reform, politics as usual is now about door knocking and house parties. The big money political game is almost non-existent where Clean Elections is in effect.  [most of those states do not attempt to lock-out the non-corporate parties.]

Help us bring Clean Elections to the rest of the country. Click here to become a citizen co-sponsor.

Under Clean Elections, [Democratic & Republican ] candidates [only] qualify for a public grant by collecting a set number of small contributions—usually $5. Once qualified [depdening on who you are], politicians forgo all private fundraising and must adhere to strict spending limits.   [Except for third party & indepdent candidates who must raise 50% more.] It’s worked so well around the country it’s become a model for federal races. [Except for the art about locking out any dissent.] This spring, with Congressional campaign fundraising also shattering past records, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced the bipartisan Fair Elections Now Act (FENA).{bi-partisan means if you hug my elephant then i’ll kiss your ass.] It will provide full public financing for qualified congressional candidates [. qualified of course depdening on whether they are within our 2 parties.]  Similar legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives.

Become a Citizen Cosponsor and let your elected officials know you want elections to be about all voters [to pay for locking our independent voices] instead of big money special interests.

blah-blah-blah

It’s going to take an army of citizens to take on the big money interests who pull the strings in our nation’s capitol. In fact, it will probably come as no surprise that the big broadcasters have already sent out word that this legislation means less advertising –and less profit –for them and they’re lobbying behind the scenes against us.

We need you today: Please add your name to the growing number of Citizen Cosponsors [who want their tax dollars to lock out independent voices].

Our fight won’t be an easy one but if we stand together and demand an end to pay to play politics [and independent voices] we will make it happen.

Sincerely,

Nick Nyhart
Executive Director
Public Campaign Action Fund

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