If your issue is climate change or fracking you know that the fossil fuel industry and billionaires like the Koch bros are risking our future. And 90% of that mountain of money goes to the GOP.
Wall Street and TBTF banks? Talk about money influencing politics, even the Democratic party big time.
Gun control? The firearms industry money directly and through the NRA and other gun groups.
The military budget, war and mass surveillance? The military/intelligence/industrial complex money fuels DC.
If you are a Single Payer activist, it's the greedy insurance and big pharma $billions. I know, we are going to get around this in the final showdown but it is not easy.
LGBT rights and women's choice? You must be aware of the Catholic and religious right money getting its way.
Money, money, money. The vast majority going to the Tea Party/GOP or increasingly corrupting the Democratic party. Even at the state level as in California.
On the other side, if you are an activist like me, you get many emails every day asking for money from all sorts of Dem politicians at all levels using the huge donations to the other side as a rationale. And many many emails asking for donations to help overturn Citizens United.
Here is one from Nancy Pelosi today;
The Koch brothers are planning to spend $290 million this year, and when I look at the map, it's pretty daunting. But there is one thing I know, and that is that House Majority PAC is going to respond to each and every Koch brother attack possible in targeted races all across the country.
And here one from Brad Schnieder;
Last election, outside GOP groups used the Citizens United decision to help fund $5 million in attacks against Brad.
If we don’t fix our campaign finance laws, these shadowy groups and SuperPACs will continue to pump in more and more money until they successfully drown out our voices.
And it points to
this website;
Citizens United opened the floodgates for special interest groups to spend virtually unlimited, undisclosed amounts of money in American elections. And those groups have responded by pouring tens of millions of dollars into campaigns to influence voters around the country.
If you are intrigued as to how we compare to other countries here is where to start;
How Our Campaign Finance System Compares to Other Countries
Since Citizens United and lately McCutcheon, the right wing Supreme Court has essentially turned us into a plutocracy.
The good news is that there IS a movement to introduce a constitutional amendment to overturn the catastrophe of Citizens United, McCutcheon and Buckley.
This week, the movement goes to Sacramento with the March for Democracy.
Today they arrive to Stockton where a rally will be held tomorrow.
I'm driving up from Los Angeles on Friday to march with them on Saturday and Sunday.
If you are a Nor Cal Kossack, you can join the march or at least participate in the final rally in the Capitol steps (we have a permit). Navajo is coordinating and Meteror Blades is also going. Check out the announcement in the last Connect, Unite, Act;
Connect! Unite! Act! Protest in Sacramento Sunday! Seattle Meet-up Info — Do You Like Surprises?
Past Diaries
By OPOL; Something big is brewing in California
By Words in Action; If You Don't Like Money in Politics
By Dave in Northridge; May 17 - The California March for Democracy Kicks Off (UPDATED with Route Map)
March for Democracy Day 1
March for Democracy Day 3 and 4
March for Democracy - Day 9 - Interview with Kai Newkirk
The March for Democracy arrives in Bakersfield and Dolores Huerta joins them
Day 18 - Lawrence Lessig joins the March for Democracy towards Visalia
The March for Democracy approaches Sacramento
March Stops