If you're a Member of the House or Senate and don't do something serious to begin distancing yourself from special interest money and the influence it has on your votes, our country will continue in a downward spiral and you'll probably have to look for a new job. Whether you are willing to admit it or not, your votes are heavily influenced by the very campaign contributions you seek.
For those who don't think there's enough money in politics, you must be celebrating the recent Supreme Court decision to allow unlimited campaign spending by corporations, unions, millionaires and billionaires. If you're celebrating, here are some suggestions:
First, file papers to form several new corporations. To protect Democratic incumbents, form the "The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Corporation" and the "Democratic Congressional Campaign Corporation." Republicans, feel free to copy those names, inserting "Republican" where appropriate.
Once your partisan corporation is formed, Senators and Congressman can drop by corporations all across America who are ready for a private meeting in their boardrooms. While giving them your vote, feel free to ask for a million or two for your new partisan campaign corporation. Remind them there are no limits -- on your votes or on the amount of money they can give. Don't forget to stop by your favorite union or the US Chamber of Commerce. In light of the unlimited money provision, they'll want a little more access too.
The best part of all of this, you'll no longer have to spend time at home raising money. We know how you hate dealing with all those pesky voters.
For those who aren't celebrating the Supreme Court decision and find the idea of hundreds of millions of new dollars influencing your votes, join the chorus of reformers who believe that public financing is the only way to curb the influence of money in politics. The Fair Elections Now Act has nearly 140 House co-sponsors. It's a bi-partisan bill that limits contributions to $100. And for every $100 you raise in your state, you will receive a match of $400 in public funds. You'll be spending more time in your states working with your constituents and a lot less time begging for money from people you've never met before in corporate board rooms from one coast to the other.
It's high time Congress wakes up. A large majority of the American people believe that your vote is influenced by the special interest money you accept every day. Get behind reform and take the special interest money out of politics now, before the price of political retribution skyrockets beyond control.
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