Today is the 15 year anniversary of the Citizens United vs. FEC Supreme Court decision, this was the tipping point to where we are today. Campaign spending by corporations and other outside groups increased by nearly 900% between 2008 and 2016. In 2020, total election spending was $14.4 billion, up from $5.7 billion in 2018, and more than $1 billion in dark money was spent. #Democracy #uspol #CampaignFinanceReform #Corruption #oligarchy https://campaignlegal.org/update/how-does-citizens-united-decision-still-affect-us-2025
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#Campaignfinancereform
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Shortening campaign timelines would reduce the role of money in politics, lessen voter burnout, and allow leaders to focus on governing instead of constant fundraising. The endless election cycle only benefits the wealthy and entrenched politicians. #CampaignFinanceReform
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"Though #Democrats ultimately outraised and outspent #Republicans in the fall election, the GOP flipped four Democratic seats and will enter 2025 with a six-seat majority in the chamber." #Michigan #USPol #CampaignFinanceReform #Capitalism https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/billionaires-dark-money-dominate-record-setting-michigan-election-spending
www.bridgemi.comBillionaires, dark money dominate record-setting Michigan election spending | Bridge MichiganMoney from undisclosed sources and the ultrawealthy made up the largest chunks of Michigan political spending in 2024 elections.
Maine's voter-approved $5,000 limit on individual super PAC donations is under legal attack by conservative groups citing free speech concerns. The Labor Party advocates for such reforms to ensure a more equitable democratic process. Does limiting large donations enhance or hinder our democracy? #CampaignFinanceReform #Democracy #MainePolitics #CampaignFinance #PoliticalReform #MoneyInPolitics #EqualityInDemocracy #FreeSpeechDebate #VoterRights #PoliticalTransparency https://buff.ly/4gvXAUZ
We used to have publicly-financed presidential elections. The #Democrats sabotaged the system in 2008 and it's been a grift ever since. Bring back #PublicFinancing. #CampaignFinanceReform #USPol https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/how-much-of-the-harris-campaign-was-a-scam
www.currentaffairs.orgHow Much of the Harris Campaign Was a Scam?The campaign squandered a whole lot of money and made plenty of people rich. Parts of the Democratic operation seem more like a multi-level marketing scheme (MLM) than a political movement.
Almost no discussion of grassroots organizing here, but the word "donors" shows up four times in the article, in sentences like this: "...liberal advocacy organizations will present their strategies at the fall meeting of the Democracy Alliance, a private gathering of some of the party’s richest donors." #ElectoralReform #CampaignFinanceReform #Democrats #USPol https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/16/us/politics/democrats-anti-trump-battle-plan.html?unlocked_article_code=1.aU4.5qvp.45pMNpu0kmKY&smid=url-share
The New York Times · Democrats Draw Up an Entirely New Anti-Trump Battle Plan
Glad to see these issues getting more attention. Both #Republicans and #Democrats -- even those who call themselves "progressive" -- have come out against #ElectoralReform and #CampaignFinanceReform. The #Megadonors have taken over both parties, at the federal, state and local levels. It's time for the grassroots to push back. #AnnArbor #USPol #Michigan #MAGA
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/16/republicans-democrats-electoral-reform
The Guardian · The Republican and Democratic parties are killing electoral reform across the US
#ElectoralReform and #CampaignFinanceReform was also on the ballot in local jurisdictions like #AnnArbor. But local #Democrats have shifted so far to the right that they actually oppose this stuff now. #USPol #Michigan #Megadonors #MAGA
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/15/electoral-reform-ballot-measures
The Guardian · Electoral reform was on the ballot in several states this election. Why did these measures fail?
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@christinkallama We just had a #CampaignFinanceReform proposal on the ballot in supposedly “progressive” #AnnArbor. It was opposed by almost every single elected official — all Democrats — who ran a nasty smear campaign. It lost. I hope I’m wrong, but it looks like the megadonors have permanent control of both parties now, at the federal, state, and local levels. The grassroots is no longer relevant to them. We should probably adjust our strategies accordingly.
Former #Michigan congressperson #AndyLevin is good people. He lost his seat in a primary in which his opponent received over $4 million from #AIPAC. #USPol #Vote2024 #Judaism #ReconstructingJudaism #Religion #Palestine #CampaignFinanceReform https://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org/author/andy-levin/
![A quote from former congressperson Andy Levin, in black text on a light green background that reads: "Courage may cost you dearly in bodily safety, material wealth or power. But its reward of abiding inner peace cannot be bought at any price. Plus, acts of courage that appear 'unsuccessful' often build momentum for change down the road. [...] We each have an opportunity to make a little contribution, but courage has a life of its own."](https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/431/211/057/290/920/original/7b848ef8cf9adc0c.jpg "A quote from former congressperson Andy Levin, in black text on a light green background that reads: \"Courage may cost you dearly in bodily safety, material wealth or power. But its reward of abiding inner peace cannot be bought at any price. Plus, acts of courage that appear 'unsuccessful' often build momentum for change down the road. [...] We each have an opportunity to make a little contribution, but courage has a life of its own.\"")
“Musk’s net worth increased by $2.7 billion on Friday, according to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires, a database that serves as a reminder of just how far our supposedly egalitarian American experiment has devolved into plutocracy—or oligarchy, if you prefer—a situation that founder John Adams had hoped we would avoid (though he wasn’t terribly confident that we would).” 
#Oligarchy #Plutocracy #Capitalism #Politics #USPolitics #Election2024 #CampaignFinanceReform
Mother JonesElon Musk made more money yesterday than he gave away in an entire yearOligarchy in action.
These Texas oligarchs belong to the world @anneapplebaum describes as Autocracy, Inc. Not taxing the ultra wealthy sufficiently is causing our democracy to rot. So is the obscene amount of dark money we now take for granted in political campaigns.
#Texas #Oligarchs #TaxTheRich #CampaignFinanceReform https://masto.ai/@socprof/113241350474129831
MastodonSocProf for #HarrisWalz2024 (@socprof@masto.ai)A Pair of Billionaire Preachers Built the Most Powerful Political Machine in Texas. That’s Just the Start. — ProPublica
https://www.propublica.org/article/tim-dunn-farris-wilks-texas-christian-nationalism-dominionism-elections-voting
Candidates from all over USA blowing up my SMS with the same message WTF 
#Politics #Captialism #USPol #CampaignFinanceReform #SpinalTap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0MGZTdcgx8
So #AnnArbor has an initiative on November's ballot enabling publicly-financed elections. The local #DemocraticParty leadership has hired a bunch of lawyers to declare it illegal. Wankers! 
#USPol #Washtenaw #Michigan #Vote2024 #CampaignFinanceReform #Politics cc: @washtenawdems https://www.mlive.com/politics/2024/09/fair-elections-fund-proposal-in-ann-arbor-conflicts-with-state-law-ags-office-says.html
mlive · Fair Elections Fund proposal in Ann Arbor conflicts with state law, AG’s office says
Former #AnnArbor City Council member Elizabeth Nelson is good people. If you're in Ann Arbor, please consider voting for Proposals C and D this November. #Washtenaw #LaborDay #CampaignFinanceReform #Democracy #A2Future #A2Council #A2NonPartisan #USPol cc: @A2ELNEL https://www.tiktok.com/@a2elnel/video/7410115860431490347?lang=en
www.tiktok.comTikTok - Make Your Day
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@GottaLaff Glover was also interviewed on The Bulwark podcast today. Very informative. Raises a lot of questions about trump's campaign fundraising, and the functioning of the FEC.
Almost every time someone in a position to solve a problem claims they'd love to solve it but they've tried everything and it didn't work, if you look closer you'll find one or more "sacred cow" solutions that have never been tried. The conversation then goes like this:
Q: To address __X__ have you tried __Y__?
A: That would never work! There's no reason to try it!
The person answering tends to get upset, which is why I put in the "!"
Examples:
X = University financial crises
Y = Reduce administration budgets
X = #Abortion frequency
Y = Healthcare, maternal care, childcare
X = Poverty
Y = Giving money to poor people
X = #IncomeInequality
Y = Wealth tax
X = #Corporate takeover of everything
Y = #Enforcement of #regulations
X = #gunviolence
Y = Gun control laws
X = US political #polarization
Y = RCV, no more electoral college, no more #filibuster...
X = Political polarization
Y = Campaign finance reform
X = Illegal immigration
Y = Enforcing minimum wage, punishing companies employing undocumented immigrants
X = Prostitution
Y = Prosecute the johns, UBI, free college
X = Palestinian #genocide
Y = Not giving/selling Israel any more weapons
etc.
(edit: added the bits about prostitution & undocumented immigrants)
It *should* be hard to believe that a Democrat would oppose campaign finance reform, especially in a town with almost no Republican opposition. And yet it seems that those in power are perhaps a little too satisfied with the status quo. Caveat emptor. #AnnArbor #Michigan #CampaignFinanceReform #Democrats #Politics #USPol https://us3.campaign-archive.com/?u=a346f7bb4c7ddb07e6f535e4b&id=a460c1e068
us3.campaign-archive.comErica Briggs, City Council Newsletter, August 19, 2024Vote NO on Proposals C and D in November.
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"At the Mar-a-Lago dinner in April, #Trump told #oil executives that raising $1 billion for his reelection bid would be a “deal” because of the #taxation and #regulation they could avoid."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/13/oil-donors-trump-pac-harold-hamm-election/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f004
[The USA needs to end this kind of #bribery and #corruption. #EndCitizensUnited and institute #CampaignFinanceReform or #democracy will die and the #US will be a #Plutocracy controlled by #Oligarchs ]
The Washington Post · This oil tycoon brings in millions for Trump, and may set his agenda