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HARTFORD (01/28/2010) -- In the wake of a decision by the United States Supreme Court with the potential for adding significant amounts of corporate money to election campaigns, Conference Minister the Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree has signed a letter endorsing passage of the Fair Elections Now Act. The bill, which has over 120 co-sponsors in the United States House of Representatives and Senate, would reward candidates who attracted donations in small amounts as opposed to those receiving large gifts from institutions.
"I have signed onto this letter as Conference Minister," said Dr. Crabtree, "and I wanted to give you the opportunity to sign on as well if you would like to." Delegates to the Connecticut Conference went on record supporting campaign finance reform in 1995.
The Fair Elections Now bill, H.R. 1826 and S. 752, "would allow candidates to run for office on a blend of small contributions and limited public funds," according to Common Cause. It is modeled on citizen-funded systems in several states and cities, and allows candidates to receive campaign grants from a central fund based on matching small contributions.
The Common Cause letter, addressed to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, reads:
Re: Citizens United and the Fair Elections Now Act (H.R. 1826 & S. 752)
Dear Speaker Pelosi:
As religious leaders, we believe in equality and justice for all people and in building the common good. In a democracy, these ideals cannot be realized, however, if the rules governing the electoral process actively or passively favor one segment of the population over another. We believe existing campaign finance laws already permit the unfair influence of persons and groups with extraordinary wealth over the political process by providing them with special access to elected officials. This special access ultimately results in legislative outcomes that reflect the needs of those with the financial means to make political contributions, and not the needs of the poor or disenfranchised.
The recent Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission will surely amplify the voices of the wealthy campaign donors and bring new powerful players to fore at the expense of everyone else.
We believe Congress must address both the Citizens United decision and the problems of the current campaign finance system by passing the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 752 and H.R. 1826). This measure would empower average people to participate in politics with small donations, and would return the gaze of our elected officials solely to the needs of their districts and the nation as a whole, rather than the interests of those with significant financial resources for campaigns.
We pledge our support and we pledge to work among members of our churches and religious communities throughout the nation to encourage support for your efforts to bring about reform. As you know, the Fair Elections Now Act was sponsored by Assistant Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) in the Senate and House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson (D-Conn.) and Congressman Walter Jones (R-N.C.) in the House. In the House, the legislation has attracted nearly 130 cosponsors. With a strong Fair Elections system in place, candidates will spend less time courting the narrow slice of Americans who currently fund campaigns and engage a larger, more active citizenry.
We hope in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision you will support the Fair Elections Now Act so that Congress can act effectively on the people’s business.
In their 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court decided that corporations had the same free speech rights as individuals, reversing a long-held precedent that limitations could be placed on funding for political advertising by shareholder-owned companies and employee unions. "The Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission paves the way for unlimited corporate and union spending in elections," wrote Common Cause's President, Bob Edgar, "and the drowning out of the average citizen's voice in our public policy debates. In other words, the court has made a bad situation worse by enhancing the ability of the deepest-pocketed special interests to influence elections and the US Congress."
Justice John Paul Stevens, in his dissent, wrote, "the court's opinion is thus a rejection of the common sense of the American people, who have recognized a need to prevent corporations from undermining self government since the founding, and who have fought against the distinctive corrupting potential of corporate electioneering since the days of Theodore Roosevelt."
