What if The People had Lobbyists?

[Junkdrawer]

What if WE had staffs of lawyers that went over legislation with a fine toothed comb.

What if WE could hire former legislators to collar colleagues and push for legislation that benefited US.

What if WE had a war chest of funds that would go to candidates ONLY if they carried OUR water.

IMHO, the Democratic Party is now, by and large, captured by Corporate interests. It will be a cold day in hell before I send another check to the DNC. And a third party, in our Winner-Take-All system is just doomed at the outset. But if a group of people like Howard Dean and Al Gore were to build a People's Lobby, well, that's something I think I could get behind.

[WonderGrunion]

1. Or, you could emulate Dean and try to take your party back.

Just saying.

[defendandprotect]

21. Well, Obama followed what Dean did -- got almost a billion from citizens . . .

but then took corporate money anyway --

[WonderGrunion]

30. The M$M focused on the fundraising

That wasn't what Dean was really all about.

[defendandprotect]

36. The fundraising, I think, kept him free of corporate money in the main?

Wasn't that the point of raising money directly from the public ???

And he seemed to have been quite independent -- and still is --

until he was "Swiftboated" by right wing and DLC --

[whattheidonot]

71. too much pressure

Obama caved in, unfortunately. We need a candidate with no ties to corporations. Corporations can still make plenty of profits without all this lobbying. That is not competition. Lobbying drives out competition.

[tblue]

35. People who voted for "change" thought that was what they were getting.

It's devastating to think all that good will, effort, promise, inspiration, and hope, plus all those millions of voters, donors, and volunteers have been used up and so quickly discarded. I'm hoping the party will figure out soon that you don't bite the hand that feeds you. Wish they'd hurry the eff up.

[defendandprotect]

39. They won't . . . as long as the only competition the Democratic Party has is from the

near fascist GOP, then they will continue to move to the right --

This is a tyranny of both parties!!

Corporations are not going to give up and go away ... not until they've reduced

us all to slaves.

[tblue]

44. I've been reading about the indigenous people of So. American countries

and also books on int'l economic policy. I see what multinational corporate imperialism has done to advance its interests at the expense of the people and with the help of the freaking US gov't. Of course, of course, the sights are on the American people now, as much as ever. We are prime for the picking.

I used to steer clear of people like me. I didn't want to believe my own gov't could be involved in such things.

WTF are we gonna do? We, with our shopping malls, Walmarts, tv's, video games, and iPhones, our pharmaceuticals and Two Buck Chuck? With all these comforts and with all our fears of losing our jobs, insurance, and homes, and with the radio telling us who to blame for our troubles, WTF will make enough of us see what's happening and do something about it?

[defendandprotect]

46. Think you're probably quite right that the inclination is to try to sit it out ...

hoping that the bad stuff doesn't happen to you and yours --

We need a new plan -- what we've been doing doesn't work -- and we have to

take some risks. Voting for the "lesser of evils" hasn't worked.

The health care fiasco I think has woken up a lot of people --

I'd like to see the liberals/progressives come together in a voting bloc and

see what we can do with it --

Mainly, I think we all have to turn our BS meters up higher -- and understand that

this isn't "conspiracy-free America!" --


Meanwhile --

Happy Winter Solstice -- Nature's New Year!

:)

[Junkdrawer]

40. Imagine if a lobby firm with three goals had that kind of money...

Here's the three goals:

1.) Bring the troops home

2.) Global Warming

3.) Single Payer health care

[defendandprotect]

47. Lovely goals --

But MIC and corporations are standing in the way of that --

Corporate military -- so we're back to the same problem ... corporate/fascism --

And we continue to buy all the crap in the stores made in China!

I think we need some advice . . . like maybe from one of the Dems on the Supreme Court ...

for openers? Wm. Greider and Michael Moore were thinking along the "targeting" lines --

someone with some ideas must be thinking about this???

We need a plan B--!!

[Motown_Johnny]

2. Then THEY would hire even more lobbyists and lwayers

[defendandprotect]

22. Well, we'd have to carry thru to a lawsuit . . .

Could we prove that corporate $$ is bribery?

hmmm.....

[Freddie Stubbs]

52. Corporations are currently prohibited by law from donating to federal candidates

[defendandprotect]

55. Really . . . then how come our elected officials pockets are filled with corporate money?

How come our elected officials are all pre-bribed and pre-owned with corporate money?

Did I mistake someone calling Lieberman the "Aetna Senator"?

Just what route takes that corporate money into Baucus' campaign?

Into Obama's campaign?

[Freddie Stubbs]

69. They aren't

Corporations and labor unions are prohibited from donating money to federal campaigns. The employees of corporations and union members, however, may make contributions.

[defendandprotect]

70. So you're saying that "for profit" health industry doesn't own Baucus?

Take a look at the contributions to him -- I don't see "employees" names . . .

I see corporate names ...

Take a look at Obama's corporate contributors, as well, and explain that please!

[Freddie Stubbs]

72. Here are some names, beginning with the A's:

http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/com_ind/C00328211/1/A/

[defendandprotect]

76. You're playing games . . . and right now I can't do searches . .. PULL UP THE CORPORATE NAMES...

Go to "On the Issues" or one of the websites which reports on the source of the money

going to the candidates --

[Freddie Stubbs]

78. You won't find a more authoratative source than the Federal Election Commission's website

They do not have a section for corporations, as corporations cannot donate to campaigns.

[jwirr]

3. What if our legislators would just listen to us without having to have

lobbyists.

[defendandprotect]

24. Have they been listening to you?

[whattheidonot]

74. out them

have to get serious about getting Congress cleared up. Vote out these people who are on the take. make all this lobbying and contributions illegal. Come up with a different way to fund. Corporations would then have to start running businesses with competence , not favor.

[jwirr]

79. My legislators are both fairly good congress persons.

[brentspeak]

4. But the people do have lobbyists

Corporations, which are people, have lobbyists. All is good.

:sarcasm:

[Junkdrawer]

6. What's Good for General Motors is Good for the USA. n/t

[tblue]

37. I thought Obama was gonna be our lobbyist.

Silly me. Maybe that's why I'm so damned cranky these days. The thrill is gone and hope is miles away.

[baldguy]

5. The Peoples' lobbyists are supposed to be their elected representitives.

:sarcasm:

[Junkdrawer]

8. As long as legislators feel they can snow you instead of serve you...

you don't stand a chance.

[defendandprotect]

25. As long as their pockets are filled with corporate bucks, that is . . .

[Speck Tater]

7. It would take 47 different lobbyists all at each other's throats to represent DU alone.

And that doesn't even begin to represent the rest of the country!

There is not enough consensus to give a people's lobbyist any sense of direction.

[Jamastiene]

16. I disagree.

The number of lobbyists you estimate to represent DU is far far too low. I would go with a much higher number, closer to 1,000.

:)

[phasma ex machina]

53. Snarky but true.

:rofl:

[tabbycat31]

9. you are more than welcome to lobby for any issue yourself

All it takes is a simple phone call to your Congresscritter and Senators' offices. If you want to do more than a phone call-- head to your Congresscritter or Senators' local offices and arrange for a meeting. Find out their schedules and try to be at an event they're attending. Show up at a town hall.

I personally have lobbied at the statehouse in the last month for marriage equality.

[Junkdrawer]

12. And if I had a $100 million war chest, they might actually listen to me...

otherwise all I'll get is humored.

[defendandprotect]

26. As far as I can see, we've all been doing the calling and e-mailing . . .

Many have been demonstrating --

And none of us have been invited by the Dem party over the past year to

a demonstration FOR universal health care -- single payer, Medicare for all, public option....

though I'm sure the party should have been interested actively in that subject --

and that unions and women's organizations would have loved to have seen such activity?

What's the number of lobbyists now for every member of Congress? Big number as I recall!!

[MercutioATC]

10. Want to hear the sick part? Elected officials are supposed to be our "lobbyists".

We "bribe" them with their occupation.


Conversely, it's WE who have the power to divest them of that paycheck, not corporate lobbyists...if we ever get our act together and fight for our interests.

[RKP5637]

17. Yep, Democrats need to all get on the same page and be informed and united. n/t

[defendandprotect]

28. We better find out how big a liberal/progressive voting bloc might be . . .

[L0oniX]

11. Congress = our lobbyists that don't do their job.

[Junkdrawer]

15. ...because they know that if they serve the Corporate Interests, the Corporate Media...

will provide cover.

We're easily fooled. Corporations are not. It's that simple.

[defendandprotect]

29. When corporations give money to pre-bribe and pre-own legislators . .

they have LEVERAGE -- we don't --

we give $ without strings attached -- !because we have no way to apply leverage -- !!

[napi21]

13. We do have lobbyists. AARP has a BIG group, unions have a big group,

the ACLU has a group there, and I'm sure I'm missing many of them. Not all lobbyists are bad for the people, but it's the bad ones that we always hear about.

[Junkdrawer]

18. In the past, unions were a HUGE force. Thanks to Globalization...not so much...

If only we could recreate the clout unions once had...

[RKP5637]

50. A lot of jobs today should have unions, but I think somehow some workers think

unions are just for hands on workers. A lot of people working in hi-tech, for example, could sure use a union. I never found HR to be worth much to talk to going to them as an individual. I don't think many workers today realize the unions worked for and got the the benefits they have today.

[defendandprotect]

31. AARP is an insurance company ---

I think we need some legal advice in getting our government back --

and putting corporations back in the box - !!!

[RKP5637]

14. In USA, Inc. of today people are a liability and in the way. Unless

"We the People" bought congress. Eventually voting will be illegal and replaced with "Just send Money." IMO the DNC today has all the money they need from corporations, I need it more to survive.

[sandnsea]

19. We Do. They're called nonprofit PACS.

Before there were PACS, the only people who had any influence in DC were corporate officers.

[defendandprotect]

33. They are usually one issue PACs . .. ????

One of the things that often irritated me about women's groups was that

they'd support a fascist if he/she had a "D" after her name and supported

choice!

In fact, Emily's List when it first began supported D or R, if they supported choice!

After a few years, they wisely changed that!

[sandnsea]

41. PFAW is a PAC, for instance

They're the one I give to first. They are into everything and always the most important issues of the day. They don't go off the rail very often either, like answer or something.

Point being, we have a venue to have our voices heard. We just don't use it enough.

DU could have a PAC, for that matter. Why don't we?

[defendandprotect]

49. I've given money to People for the American Way . . . but not lately . . .

I somehow lost track of them -- I'll have to see why that happened?

You're also right about DU . . . they've raised money for Dems quite frequently --

I don't give to it because if I give anything I do it directly --

prefer it that way --

I think it has to be something much more aggressive than we've seen before --

PFAW has been around a long time -- and, certainly not their fault, but we're in worse

shape than ever -- and we have control of the WH, Senate and USHR!!

[defendandprotect]

20. Ah -- a subject I'd love to see us get serious about . . .

:)

I think it's a subject to be explored --

but, remember, Gore gave you Lieberman!!

And, very much agree with you on the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ --

Think Erin Brockovich is too busy to advise us?

:)

[WillyT]

23. We Used To Have Them... They Were Called Unions...

The powers that be took care of that shit though.

:shrug:

[Junkdrawer]

27. Completely agree. Said just that up thread.

Question is can we reproduce the legislative clout with a non-union workforce?

[WillyT]

42. Not Trying To Be A Smart-Ass, But...

wouldn't that require us to... Unite???

Believe me... I'm all for a National Strike every now and again (ala France), just to remind them who's in charge.

Or...at least... who should be.

:shrug:

BTW- I K&R'd this thread, and look forward to seeing some ideas.

It's funny in a way, because we unite here at DU (ironic, no?), and in our work places, our political parties... We keep looking for a bigger and better union, no?

Maybe what we are really looking for, is a movement.

:shrug:

[defendandprotect]

51. If you've noticed they've even stopped the music . . . and . ..

there's an old saying about that ...

The movement is over when the music stops --

The right wing is politically violent -- without doubt --

they don't wait any longer for leaders to rise -- if they look promising they're gone.

Quite a long list of people eliminated in one way or another --

Leadership isn't absolutely necessary, but it sure as heck helps -- and they know that --

The interneet has given us the ability to see and hear one another and understand that

basically all people are alike. This is an overwhelmingly liberal nation, subdued by the

violent right. Certainly election steals played a role in all of this -- and I'd question

elections back all the way to Nixon/Humphrey. The large and individual computers began

coming in during the mid-late 1960's . . . just about the time we were passing the Voting

Rights Act.

The LARGE computers came first and gave MSM the ability to PREDICT and CALL elections for

candidates and by states' Electoral College for president. Before that they could only

report actual vote totals. In 2000, they reversed that power and RECALLED Florida from

Gore and later CALLED it for Bush. Fascist rallies, US Supreme Court -- and easy as pie

we had an appointed president!

Well -- at least we're beginning to talk about this --

[mmonk]

60. Yes. But alas, people sometimes run on assumptions, speeches,

and the past rather than pay attention to the facts that surround them. People in the Democratic Party are a mix where in the Republican Party, their following membership and subsequent opinions were created. In our party, we have factions whereby some are dismissed. Unification for change appears tough.

[mother earth]

32. Public financing and campaign finance reform is what we need.

"If you want to see a Congress that is indebted to voters rather than the pharmaceutical industry, work to pass Clean Elections in your state and at the national level. Clean Elections would ensure that well qualified candidates can run for office and create a government responsive to the needs of its citizens without relying on special interest cash."

http://www.publicampaign.org/

OR

"The voices of American voters are being drowned out by special interest money. Millions of dollars are poured into campaigns each election, and the amount continues to climb. Instead of turning to their constituents, members of Congress look to wealthy individuals and businesses to fund their campaigns.

Public Citizen is working hard to change the current system of campaign finance so that members of Congress are responsible to their voters, not to their contributors. You'll find the latest analysis in the Watchdog Blog. Join the conversation!

We need to make sure that our campaign finance laws limit the influence of wealthy special interests, and we hope that you join us in this fight."

http://www.citizen.org/congress/

[defendandprotect]

34. Good idea . . .

We need to bar corporations from any participation whatsoever in our elections!

Are you active in your state and how is it going?

[Jamastiene]

61. +1000000

Until we get CFR, everything else we do will be like a crap shoot; we may see results or we may not. CFR would greatly help us to be better represented.

[mother earth]

80. Absolutely, our campaign finance is set up to put all OUR

power in the hands of big business interests, those special interests and votes that only money can buy, until we get serious about it and demand it, we will not be represented. I don't think people truly get it.

[backscatter712]

38. We do have lobbyists. We just don't have lobbyists with millions of dollars of campaign cash.

And guess which lobbyists our Congresscritters prefer to listen to...

Sure, we've got all sorts of interest groups with lobbyists from the ACLU to the EFF to Southern Poverty Law Center, etc. etc. etc.

The corporations got lobbyists AND shitloads of cash.

[treestar]

43. You could do that

But you don't. Think about that.

With the internet, you could organize that.

But you don't.

Why not?

[SnoopDog]

45. We the People... are the only legitimate lobbyists....nt

[defendandprotect]

48. But we're not organized -- capitalists/corps are organized every way ... up down

and sideways --

That's what gives them LEVERAGE on politicians --

When we give candidates money, we do it individually -- no leverage!

Corporations need us to keep buying things -- that we do know.

We should be able to rattle things a bit -- ??

But, it at least looks like the discussions have begun!! That's a good thing!

[Igel]

54. Find an NGO that you support.

Support them.

Most sufficiently large NGOs have lobbyists. When I was in student government, for instance, I met a USSA lobbyist for national issues. UCSA, the Uni. Calif. student group, has lobbyists for state issues. If students, mostly undergrad, have lobbyists then almost group can.

[bertman]

56. ". . . And a third party, in our Winner-Take-All system is just doomed at the outset."

The self-fulfilling prophecy of the Corporate Class. As long as we believe that shit it will be true. No third party ever just appeared out of nowhere and took power. It takes time and a deliberate process--something most disillusioned Democrats seem unwilling to invest in.

[Nikki Stone1]

57. We're SUPPOSED to have representatives.

Lobbyists are not in the Constitution. Our representatives ARE. They seem to have forgotten that.

[RKP5637]

58. Exactly, and our representatives have learned to welcome and accept bribes, and hence

the mess today... Our gov. today goes to and is controlled by the highest bidders!

[Nikki Stone1]

73. That goes without saying

Sadly.

[lib2DaBone]

59. I think a third party could happen....

..People are fed up.

The internet elected Obama... it can do the same for a third party.

[JohnnyBoots]

62. The Association for Public Good will be

founded when and if I ever win the lottery. It is a great idea, but I doubt those with money are that altruistic. Center for American Progress comes closest yet is still far off, seeing as it has a hard DLC edge to it

[blindpig]

63. What if the people had a party that represented their interests?

Wouldn't that be novel?

[Junkdrawer]

64. It would. It would indeed. But right now both parties are captured...

by monied interests at the same time that hundreds of millions of dollars in individual donations are sent to those very same parties.

[blindpig]

66. Same old, same old. It's just out in the open now.

They are arrogant and fearless because they see no opposition and because they are desperate to keep capitalism afloat.

[marmar]

65. Isn't that what our elected reps are supposed to be?

nt

[meow2u3]

67. It can be done

All we have to do is form a public interest group, with annual dues for its members, which can number in the millions. If 50 million people formed an interest group with annual dues of $20, we can raise $1B a year, and use that billion to fund our own lobbyists to rival the corporate interest groups to lobby Congress for legislation that would benefit the people.

Low annual dues + millions of members - cost of hiring lobbyists = taking back our nation. :think:

[earth mom]

68. The People's Lobby...I'm in!!!

:thumbsup:

[live love laugh]

75. Yes WE can. Instead of campaign contributions we can buy lobbyists. Why the hell NOT? nt

[MilesColtrane]

77. We have them. (see some of them below)

We just can't match the corporate money.

---------------------------------

League of Conservation Voters Action Fund

Sierra Club Political Committee

ActBlue

Democracy for America

Democratic Advancement PAC

Generation Blue

MoveOn.org PAC

National Committee for an Effective Congress

National Democratic Law Students Council

Carpenters Legislative Improvement Committee

IBEW PAC

International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Political Education Committee

Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) PAC

Political League of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education (SEIU COPE)

Transport Workers Union Political Contributions Committee

Transportation Communications International Union Responsible Citizens Political League

Human Rights Campaign

NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC

The Wish List

EMILY's List

Planned Parenthood Action Fund