Dear fellow MoveOn member,
It hit me like a ton of bricks when I saw this week that Susan Collins received $1.8 million in donations after voting to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court—by far the most she's ever raised in a quarter.1 The fact that there's a financial incentive for a senator to confirm a justice to a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court is an insult to democracy.
But there's reason to keep our heads up! H.R.1, the Democrats' sweeping anti-corruption and pro-democracy bill to rein in the influence of money in politics and expand voting rights, is wildly popular with voters—across the political spectrum.2
And Republicans are terrified.
Republicans in the House rightly said this week that the impacts of the bill would be "chilling," and Mitch McConnell believes it's a "power grab."3,4
You betcha! A power grab for the people.
But here's the thing: Just as the bill is starting to gain momentum, the GOP is launching a smear campaign, calling it a threat to free speech.5
We have to fight back, Eddie, and no group is more savvy and capable than MoveOn at countering this right-wing narrative and building grassroots support for this critical piece of legislation.
Will you chip in $3 a week to help MoveOn fight the right-wing smear campaign and build momentum for this landmark bill to get Big Money out of politics and expand voting rights?
Yes, I'll chip in weekly to crack down on Washington corruption!
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
So what exactly does H.R.1 do that Republicans find so horrifying?
- It creates a national system for automatic voter registration and expands early voting and same-day registration.
- It makes Election Day a holiday for federal employees and encourages private businesses to also take the day off to encourage voting.
- It requires "dark money" groups to make their donor lists public and mandates that Facebook and Twitter disclose the source of funding for political ads that appear on their platforms.
- It institutes public financing for political campaigns.
- And it beefs up ethics rules to fight corruption in government.6
Well sure, that would certainly terrify me if I were a Republican in the pocket of monied interests and terrified of actually facing a fair election.
And now, Republicans have developed a new line of attack against H.R.1: They are calling the proposal "Russian government policy."7 Excuse me? I can think of nothing more American than protecting the right to vote, getting Big Money out of politics, and reforming our broken system.
We must meet these vicious attacks blow for blow and make sure that the American people know the truth about H.R.1—namely, that it will give everyday people power in our political system again.
MoveOn is ready to go big to build momentum behind H.R.1, by producing powerful videos and ads that are seen millions of times, flooding Congress with calls, hosting rallies, and more. But they can't do it without your ongoing support. Can you chip in $3 a week to help build and sustain the fight to crack down on Washington corruption?
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
It disgusts me that any political party in the United States would so abandon the principles of our democracy to keep their coffers filled and their ultra-rich backers happy. The Republicans rallying against this legislation have turned their backs on democracy, showing their true colors as shills for special interests and billionaires.
H.R.1 is not a controversial proposal, and if Republicans actually believed that their policies were best for the American people, they would support it wholeheartedly. But they know that the only people that Republican policies help are the ultra-rich, the corrupt, and corporate powers dedicated to keeping their workers down.
We have lived under this system for too long, and it is about time something was done to end it.
Together, we need to build a groundswell of grassroots support for H.R.1, relentlessly shine a spotlight on the problems of Big Money and corruption—as well as the promise of real solutions that would improve our democracy—and bring millions of people together to demand action.
Eddie, will you join me now and chip in $3 a week to help MoveOn take back power for the people?
Yes, I'll chip in weekly to fight the GOP smear campaign and crack down on Washington corruption!
No, I'm sorry, I can't chip in weekly.
Thanks for all you do.
–Robert Reich
Sources:
1. "Collins brings in most money of her career after Kavanaugh vote," Bangor Daily News, February 1, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/63048?t=8&akid=226992%2E10220574%2EPinZ6b
2. "New polling shows voters—including independents—want Congress to pass an anti-corruption bill," Vox, January 3, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/63049?t=10&akid=226992%2E10220574%2EPinZ6b
3. "House Republicans Warn That Bill Combating Big Money in Politics 'Resembles Russian Government Policy,'" The Intercept, February 7, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/63050?t=12&akid=226992%2E10220574%2EPinZ6b
4. "Mitch McConnell calls House Democrats' anti-corruption bill a 'power grab,'" Vox, January 18, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/63051?t=14&akid=226992%2E10220574%2EPinZ6b
5. "Lobbyists are already mounting an opposition strategy to Democrats' anti-corruption bill," Vox, January, 29, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/63052?t=16&akid=226992%2E10220574%2EPinZ6b
6. "House Democrats officially unveil their first bill in the majority: a sweeping anti-corruption proposal," Vox, January 4, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/63053?t=18&akid=226992%2E10220574%2EPinZ6b
7. "House Republicans Warn That Bill Combating Big Money in Politics 'Resembles Russian Government Policy,'" The Intercept, February 7, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/63050?t=20&akid=226992%2E10220574%2EPinZ6b
Contributions to MoveOn.org Civic Action are not tax deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. This email was sent to Eddie Alfaro on February 13th, 2019. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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