To Topple US 'Oligarchy,' Sanders Calls for Publicly Financed Elections

This is the most important thing we can do to help the United States. Get money out of the election. It won't immediately stop the revolving door between government and industry but it bring more sanity and 'restraint' to our process. I'm tired of 24/7 election crap year round.

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who has been vocal on the campaign trail about the scourge of big money in politics, said on Sunday he would push legislation in Congress to provide public funding of elections.

"We're going to introduce legislation which will allow people to run for office without having to beg money from the wealthy and the powerful," Sanders told a crowd of about 300 people at a town meeting in Rollinsford, New Hampshire.

www.commondreams.org...

a reply to: FyreByrd

If I was undecided (and in the USA lol ) this would swing my vote.
No chance in getting it through though.

What a wonderful idea! If we fund elections ourselves then maybe our voices will finally be heard for once. Cut out the corporate donations and give the power back to the people. They are supposed to be serving us right? So why can't we be the ones to fund their campaigns? Crowdfunding seems to be a really successful industry, I don't see why it wouldn't work for elections too.

Awesome idea Bernie! This guy is looking better and better every day. Let's hope he puts his money where his mouth is if he wins the election.

originally posted by: boymonkey74
a reply to: FyreByrd

If I was undecided (and in the USA lol

) this would swing my vote.
No chance in getting it through though.

Actually there has been grass roots action on this idea for twenty years. Clean Money - is only one organization that is working it locally. In fact, Arizona (McCain's State) has a Clean Money law on the books.

I don't think it will have success - but people - right/left/inbetween - are pissed as evidenced by the huge support for both renigade (help w/spelling please) candidates.

The establishment way of doing things, the status quo, is no longer working. See the Kocks 'get-together' of 'donors' over the past weekend and their panic spending and plotting.

Money doens't talk quite as well as it used to.... The left and right can agree on certain issues and this is one - at least the rhetoric is out there. Let's see who might walk the talk as Senator Sanders does.

I am not a huge Sanders supporter by any means but I completely agree with this viewpoint.

I hope he gets elected just so I can laugh when nothing changes. Again.

a reply to: FyreByrd

Why couldn't the government set aside an election campaign chest with a set amount of money? Each candidate gets the same exact amount for their election campaign. Every candidate must have the same number of advertising slots on a select number of networks. Networks must supply those slots free of charge, in exchange for a tax cut. Institute a watch dog board made up of public volunteers who will review each advertisement for factual content. They will than review and decide if the candidates ad is honest and factual. If it is, the ad is approved to be released to the public. All candidates should be required to have a web site that lists their position on various issues. It should be easily assessable so any voter can easily understand the candidates position. There should also be a side-by-side comparison chart on the issues for all candidates. I think this would be the best way to have a fair, honest and balanced election.

a reply to: FyreByrd

it doesn't look like he is limiting private contributions, only alloting more funding for the average joe?

The problem with Bernie is he wants to use 'public funds' to solve every problem. Socialism isn't the solution to our problems.

To Topple US 'Oligarchy,' Sanders Calls for Publicly Financed Elections

I'd buy that for a dollar!



Jokes aside S&F.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
a reply to: FyreByrd

it doesn't look like he is limiting private contributions, only alloting more funding for the average joe?

I miss you bro.

I petition to have you dropped as a mod!

I genuinely believe there is no real vote. It's cannon fodder but they'll give lip service to a "Ron Paul" or a."Bernie Sanders" but if you truly believe anyone with those ideals post JFKwould have any hope a winning, well that's just silly.

It's certainly better to rig the system than murder someone I suppose. *shrugs*

originally posted by: lordcomac

I hope he gets elected just so I can laugh when nothing changes. Again.

Sometimes I wonder if the "electorally active" actually pay attention to how they get lied to and screwed every single time.

They must not, otherwise they would've given up on the whole process by now. Liberalism is a mental disorder? Conservatism is a mental disorder?

Nah, civic participation is a mental disorder. "These people" are completely delusional... which makes them very dangerous, to speak nothing of ideologies in and of themselves. Sanders' socialism doesn't frighten me nearly as much as the stupidity of the common man.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
a reply to: FyreByrd

it doesn't look like he is limiting private contributions, only alloting more funding for the average joe?

Didn't read the article, did ya....

Sanders blasted the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision that gutted limits on campaign funding and paved the way for the über-wealthy to spend unlimited sums to influence election outcomes. His criticisms echoed those voiced last week by former president Jimmy Carter, who said on the Thom Hartmann Program that the U.S. is now an "oligarchy" in which "unlimited political bribery" has created "a complete subversion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors."

Referring to Citizens United, Sanders said on Sunday: "We must overturn that decision before it's too late. We are increasingly living in an oligarchy where big money is buying politicians."

On top of that do away with Citizens United. As of now, the amount of money pouring in to support candidates bids for election from wealthy donors; fifty percent of all contributions has come from just 400 families.

Source

Fewer than four hundred families are responsible for almost half the money raised in the 2016 presidential campaign, a concentration of political donors that is unprecedented in the modern era.

The system is broken because we don't participate.
We are the workforce, we are the consumers thus we can be the corporation that fights corporate greed.

Careful. What Sanders is talking about, many societies have tried, and failed miserably.

Don't trust your politicians? Then why give them the power you wanted so badly to remove from your parents (and more).

Your parents had some vested interest of some kind. Politicians, want more power and control than your parents ever had.

Socialism, Marxism and utopian societies cannot exist at the hands of nature. Doubly so for if left in the hands of humans.

May public thinking take the place of public drinking - and public drinking be in celebration of public thinking and overcoming things people once thought impossible. (and not in some Marxist, socialist wet dream sort of way).

What's the old adage? Power corrupts, absolute power absolutely corrupts?

*think*

One of the things that I hear all the time here at ATS is the need for campaign finance reform, well this is the read deal here.

But Bernie Sanders can not make this happen by himself.

On the other hand as a sitting president he could bring more attention to and actually make campaign finance reform a part of the political discussion.


F & S

"Public funds" is just a nice way of saying another tax. Why not just make it a law that networks and newspapers must set aside a certain amount of time/space for political ads and debates?

Rather than them donate money, donate time and ad space. Running for office shouldn't cost a fortune.

a reply to: lordcomac

It takes three. Who you vote for congress is just important.

Lol even 99% of the democrats wont go for this...

But it would be a good change this and TERM LIMITS would help fix a broken system .