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Why 2016 will be a Great Year for Money-in-Politics Reform
Happy New Year, America! Yesterday, we told you all about the positive reforms that took place during 2015. Reformers should feel proud of their hard work, and you should take…
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Flickr – Kelly DeLay
Here’s another story to file under, “both parties are part of the problem:” see lobbyists comma Democratic national convention.
The Hill reported today that top officials at the Democratic National Committee met with some of the country’s top lobbyists to entice them to help fund the party’s 2016 convention. In exchange for providing top dollars, lobbyists representing companies like H&R Block and General Motors will receive “VIP treatment,” such as commingling with influential members of the DNC, photo ops and, it goes without saying, exclusive face-time with Democratic candidates.
Lobbyists and other wealthy special interests are able to give this kind of cash thanks to an under-the-radar rider slipped into last year’s must-pass budget bill known as the ‘cromnibus.’ That provision dramatically increased the contribution limits for donations to national parties, and it was written by Democrats and attached to the bill by Republicans. Never let it be said that the parties can’t work together.
The trading of donations for special perks not available to the rest of us is a bipartisan problem with a bipartisan solution: we need to pass common-sense rules regulating how lobbyists are allowed to contribute to our elected officials.
Issue: Money in Politics
Archived
Happy New Year, America! Yesterday, we told you all about the positive reforms that took place during 2015. Reformers should feel proud of their hard work, and you should take…
Archived
This is the fifth installment of our blog series on Blueprints for Democracy, a new collection of solutions policymakers can implement to give everyone a greater say in their democracy.…
Archived
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), is holding a hearing right now on the “Restore America’s Wire Act,” a bill that would ban…