U.S, Government Republicans Block Disclosure Legislation. Why? What Have They Got To Hide?
Joseph Raglione
July 29, 2010
Gentle readers of this American Chronicle, Brazil just passed a great new anti-corruption law that hinders and blocks any politician suspected of being corrupt, from working in government. The "clean record" law was a bold proposal that banned any politician convicted of crimes like corruption and money laundering from running for office.
In the United States, however, Senate Republicans blocked a Bill that would disclose the names of companies and groups contributing to individual members within the United States government.
Why are government Republicans afraid of disclosing who is putting millions into their pockets? Heck! I would shout it to the world if a secretive source gave me a million Dollars and demanded absolutely nothing in return, I would be elated!
Republicans just blocked the disclosure law, allowing secretive sources to put millions into the pockets of certain government Senators in order for those Senators to win elections and then, once in political power, those same Senators will generously help American Citizens improve their basic living conditions. If you believe that, I have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn you can buy, cheap!
Joseph --
They just couldn't help themselves.
Yesterday, 40 Republican senators blocked the passage of legislation that would counteract the growing influence of corporations in the wake of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.
The DISCLOSE Act would have helped shed light on the hundreds of millions of dollars corporations and special interests plan to spend to influence our elections this fall -- and would have helped ordinary Americans to make their voices more clearly heard in campaigns across the country.
Republicans believe that killing the bill and strengthening corporate power gives them a tactical edge, allowing right-wing groups to raise more than ever to help their candidates win.
It's a stark reminder, both of what we're up against in November and the reason we all need to fight so hard to elect Democrats. Now more than ever, we need people like you on sidewalks and doorsteps, talking to your friends and neighbors about what meaningful reforms like these would mean in their lives -- and why it's so vital that they make their voices heard this fall.
Sign up now to volunteer for our Vote 2010 efforts and help fight the Republican special-interest agenda.
Despite the fact that 80 percent of Americans disagreed with the Citizens United decision -- which eliminated limits on corporate spending in political campaigns -- obstructionist Republicans have sided with the special interests yet again. But that doesn't mean we can't hold them accountable for it.
Republicans believe the support of the big corporations and the special interests is all they need, but we have a different approach. We're building a new Democratic Party -- one driven by the opinions and support of Americans around the country and focused on grassroots organizing.
That's something Republicans just don't have: supporters like you.
The obstruction of bills like DISCLOSE affects every voter in the country -- and we're all in this together. We need your help on the ground now, helping to make the case to friends and neighbors about the importance of their vote in November's elections. Please sign up to volunteer today:
http://my.democrats.org/DISCLOSEVolunteer
Thanks,
Jen
Jen O'Malley Dillon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee
Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org.
This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Democratic National Committee, 430 S. Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC 20003
>
Dear friends,
A massive online campaign by the Avaaz community in Brazil has just won a stunning victory against corruption.
The "clean record" law was a bold proposal that banned any politician convicted of crimes like corruption and money laundering from running for office. With nearly 25% of the Congress under investigation for corruption, most said it would never pass. But after Avaaz launched the largest online campaign in Brazilian history, helping to build a petition of over 2 million signatures, 500,000 online actions, and tens of thousands of phone calls, we won!
Avaaz members fought corrupt congressmen daily as they tried every trick in the book to kill, delay, amend, and weaken the bill, and won the day every time. The bill passed Congress, and already over 330 candidates for office face disqualification!
One Brazilian member wrote to us when the law was passed, saying:
I have never been as proud of the Brazilian people as I am today! Congratulations to all that have signed. Today I feel like an actual citizen with political power. -- Silvia
Our strategy in Brazil was simple: make a solution so popular and visible that it canīt be opposed, and be so vigilant that we canīt be ignored.
This victory shows what our community can do - at a national level, in developing nations, and on the awful problem of corruption. Anywhere in the world, we can build legislative proposals to clean up corruption in government, back them up with massive citizen support, and fight legislators who try to block them.
France's Le Monde called our "impressive and unprecedented petition" campaign a "spectacular political and moral victory for civil society." And while this victory may be a first, we can make it the precedent for global citizen action.
Amazingly, our entire Brazil campaign was made possible by just a couple of Avaaz team members, serving over 600,000 Avaaz members in Brazil. The power of the Avaaz model is that technology can enable a tiny team to help millions of people work together on the most pressing issues. It's one of the most powerful ways a small donation can make a difference in the world.
5.6 million of us are reading this email -- if a small fraction of us donate just $3 or $5 per week, or 50 cents per day, the entire Avaaz team will be funded and we can even expand our work on corruption and a range of issues. Click below to become a Sustainer of Avaaz and help take our anti-corruption campaigning global:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/ficha_limpa_reportback/?vl
We've seen the heart-wrenching movies about street kids and desperate urban poverty in Brazil, and we know that across the world political corruption preys on our communities and saps human potential. In Brazil, our community has helped turn the tide and usher in a new era of transparent, accountable politics. Let's seize the opportunity and begin to fight corruption everywhere it's needed today.
With hope,
Ricken, Luis, Graziela, David, Ben, Maria Paz, Benjamin and the entire Avaaz Team
SOURCES:
The Economist, "Cleaning up. A campaign against corruption":
http://www.avaaz.org/economist_ficha_limpa
The Rio Times, "Anti-Corruption Law in Effect This Year":
http://www.avaaz.org/rio_times_ficha_limpa
The story of Brazil's Clean Record law has yet to be told widely in English language media. Here are a few stories in other languages that capture the campaign:
Le Monde, "Operation "clean sheet" in Brazil": (French)
http://www.avaaz.org/le_monde_ficha_limpa
Correio Braziliense, "The arrival of 2.0 activists": (Portuguese)
http://www.avaaz.org/correio_braziliense_2_0
Avaaz.org is a 5.5-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 13 countries on 4 continents and operates in 14 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
This message was sent to human4us@sympatico.ca. To change your email address, language, or other information, click here. Want to leave this list? Click here to unsubscribe.
To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).
In the United States, however, Senate Republicans blocked a Bill that would disclose the names of companies and groups contributing to individual members within the United States government.
Why are government Republicans afraid of disclosing who is putting millions into their pockets? Heck! I would shout it to the world if a secretive source gave me a million Dollars and demanded absolutely nothing in return, I would be elated!
Republicans just blocked the disclosure law, allowing secretive sources to put millions into the pockets of certain government Senators in order for those Senators to win elections and then, once in political power, those same Senators will generously help American Citizens improve their basic living conditions. If you believe that, I have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn you can buy, cheap!
Joseph --
They just couldn't help themselves.
Yesterday, 40 Republican senators blocked the passage of legislation that would counteract the growing influence of corporations in the wake of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.
The DISCLOSE Act would have helped shed light on the hundreds of millions of dollars corporations and special interests plan to spend to influence our elections this fall -- and would have helped ordinary Americans to make their voices more clearly heard in campaigns across the country.
Republicans believe that killing the bill and strengthening corporate power gives them a tactical edge, allowing right-wing groups to raise more than ever to help their candidates win.
It's a stark reminder, both of what we're up against in November and the reason we all need to fight so hard to elect Democrats. Now more than ever, we need people like you on sidewalks and doorsteps, talking to your friends and neighbors about what meaningful reforms like these would mean in their lives -- and why it's so vital that they make their voices heard this fall.
Sign up now to volunteer for our Vote 2010 efforts and help fight the Republican special-interest agenda.
Despite the fact that 80 percent of Americans disagreed with the Citizens United decision -- which eliminated limits on corporate spending in political campaigns -- obstructionist Republicans have sided with the special interests yet again. But that doesn't mean we can't hold them accountable for it.
Republicans believe the support of the big corporations and the special interests is all they need, but we have a different approach. We're building a new Democratic Party -- one driven by the opinions and support of Americans around the country and focused on grassroots organizing.
That's something Republicans just don't have: supporters like you.
The obstruction of bills like DISCLOSE affects every voter in the country -- and we're all in this together. We need your help on the ground now, helping to make the case to friends and neighbors about the importance of their vote in November's elections. Please sign up to volunteer today:
http://my.democrats.org/DISCLOSEVolunteer
Thanks,
Jen
Jen O'Malley Dillon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee
Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org.
This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Democratic National Committee, 430 S. Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC 20003
>
Dear friends,
A massive online campaign by the Avaaz community in Brazil has just won a stunning victory against corruption.
The "clean record" law was a bold proposal that banned any politician convicted of crimes like corruption and money laundering from running for office. With nearly 25% of the Congress under investigation for corruption, most said it would never pass. But after Avaaz launched the largest online campaign in Brazilian history, helping to build a petition of over 2 million signatures, 500,000 online actions, and tens of thousands of phone calls, we won!
Avaaz members fought corrupt congressmen daily as they tried every trick in the book to kill, delay, amend, and weaken the bill, and won the day every time. The bill passed Congress, and already over 330 candidates for office face disqualification!
One Brazilian member wrote to us when the law was passed, saying:
I have never been as proud of the Brazilian people as I am today! Congratulations to all that have signed. Today I feel like an actual citizen with political power. -- Silvia
Our strategy in Brazil was simple: make a solution so popular and visible that it canīt be opposed, and be so vigilant that we canīt be ignored.
This victory shows what our community can do - at a national level, in developing nations, and on the awful problem of corruption. Anywhere in the world, we can build legislative proposals to clean up corruption in government, back them up with massive citizen support, and fight legislators who try to block them.
France's Le Monde called our "impressive and unprecedented petition" campaign a "spectacular political and moral victory for civil society." And while this victory may be a first, we can make it the precedent for global citizen action.
Amazingly, our entire Brazil campaign was made possible by just a couple of Avaaz team members, serving over 600,000 Avaaz members in Brazil. The power of the Avaaz model is that technology can enable a tiny team to help millions of people work together on the most pressing issues. It's one of the most powerful ways a small donation can make a difference in the world.
5.6 million of us are reading this email -- if a small fraction of us donate just $3 or $5 per week, or 50 cents per day, the entire Avaaz team will be funded and we can even expand our work on corruption and a range of issues. Click below to become a Sustainer of Avaaz and help take our anti-corruption campaigning global:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/ficha_limpa_reportback/?vl
We've seen the heart-wrenching movies about street kids and desperate urban poverty in Brazil, and we know that across the world political corruption preys on our communities and saps human potential. In Brazil, our community has helped turn the tide and usher in a new era of transparent, accountable politics. Let's seize the opportunity and begin to fight corruption everywhere it's needed today.
With hope,
Ricken, Luis, Graziela, David, Ben, Maria Paz, Benjamin and the entire Avaaz Team
SOURCES:
The Economist, "Cleaning up. A campaign against corruption":
http://www.avaaz.org/economist_ficha_limpa
The Rio Times, "Anti-Corruption Law in Effect This Year":
http://www.avaaz.org/rio_times_ficha_limpa
The story of Brazil's Clean Record law has yet to be told widely in English language media. Here are a few stories in other languages that capture the campaign:
Le Monde, "Operation "clean sheet" in Brazil": (French)
http://www.avaaz.org/le_monde_ficha_limpa
Correio Braziliense, "The arrival of 2.0 activists": (Portuguese)
http://www.avaaz.org/correio_braziliense_2_0
Avaaz.org is a 5.5-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 13 countries on 4 continents and operates in 14 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
This message was sent to human4us@sympatico.ca. To change your email address, language, or other information, click here. Want to leave this list? Click here to unsubscribe.
To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).
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