Blog: Supporting the Government by the People Act

Statement

Most Americans aren't like big banks, multi-national corporations or lobbyists, spending big bucks to have a direct line to our elected leaders so they can influence policy decisions and receive special privileges. Most Americans can clearly see this happening, and it's exactly why so many of us know for sure that Washington is broken: because our elected officials are beholden to those who can afford to pay to play.

I believe in a government that is both accountable to and representative of the American people -- not just CEOs and millionaires or even billionaires. That's why I support the Government by the People Act -- a new bill in Congress that would create a system of public matching of small-dollar donations in order to offset the outsized, negative influence of corporate money in our elections. This bill would allow congressional candidates to voluntarily opt to only accept donations of $150 or less in exchange for having those donations matched 6 to 1. That means nurse or public school teacher who raises $100 would receive an additional $600 to match the $700 being pumped into an election by a corporate or special interest group.

The Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United opened the floodgates for these sorts of political contributions, which amount to little more than legalized bribery. A system of public financing is a step in the right direction towards matching those funds and electing representatives who can concentrate on serving the people instead of serving their funders. When the people are the funders, we can truly have a government that is of, by, and for the people.

Source