[Northampton-GP] GPUS press release: Corporate Money Wins

[Tim Carpenter]

>
> THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
> 
> MEDIA RELEASE
> For immediate release:
> Thursday, February 5, 2003
> 
> Contacts:
> Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576,
> nallen at acadia.net
> Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
> scottmclarty at yahoo.com
> 
> 
> GREENS DECLARE CORPORATE MONEY THE BIG WINNER IN
> 2002 ELECTIONS
> 
> Campaign financing reforms undermined by
> increasing FEC loopholes, Democratic Party chair
> McAuliffe's dismissal of public financing for
> campaigns, say Greens
> 
> 
> WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Latest figures from the FEC
> show that the biggest determinant of whether a
> candidate won in 2002 fall elections was not
> their position on the issues, but the amount of
> money spent on their campaign, said Greens.  The
> Green Party of the United States supports 'Clean
> Money, Clean Elections' -- public campaign
> financing, especially for congressional
> elections.
> 
> Data from candidates on contributions through
> Oct. 16, 2002 posted at the Center for Responsive
> Politics show that out of 445 house races, over
> 90% of the winners outspent the losers, with 299
> winning candidates outspending their opponents by
> 10 to 1.  Only 14 candidates who spent less than
> their opponents won.
> 
> "These figures prove how important it is for a
> dramatic overhaul of our election system and
> highlights the need for public financing of
> campaigns," said Ben Manski, member of the
> national Steering Committee of the Green Party of
> the United States and a Green from Wisconsin --
> Sen. Russell Feingold's home state.  "Otherwise,
> politicians with campaign coffers full of
> corporate money will continue to win.  It's no
> longer a contest between political ideas and
> qualifications for public office.  Instead,
> Election Day is when corporate lobbies defeat
> democracy."
> 
> Greens note that Democratic Party national chair
> Terry McAuliffe has urged Democrats to reject
> public financing for their campaigns (reported by
> the Associate Press on January 31).
> 
> "Terry McAuliffe, veteran raiser of corporate
> money and defender of corporate lobbyists'
> influence over the Democratic Party, made it
> clear that his party isn't interested in
> reforming our corrupted elections," said New
> Jersey State Assembly member Matt Ahearn.
> 
> Ahearn, who represents the 38th District (Bergen
> County), switched his party affiliation from
> Democratic to Green on January 24, citing the
> influence of corporate lobby money in the State
> House.  "I learned on the inside that there were
> two reasons to get on a bill.  One is because
> voters like it and it won't hurt the major
> contributers, the other is because you can get
> press hits for introducing what the voters want,
> then sit on the bill and quietly take credit for
> that with the lobbyists."  Ahearn called these
> tactics "government by press release" and "bill
> squatting."
> 
> Democrats and Republicans on the Federal Election
> Commission are dismantling piece by piece the
> McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Bill passed in
> 2002 to regulate soft money contributions and
> issue ads.  The FEC has created loopholes that,
> among other things:
> 
> *** allow state and local parties to raise
> unlimited soft money for ads that promote or
> attack parties in federal elections.
> 
> *** allow federal officeholders to participate in
> state and local fundraisers raising soft money,
> as long as they don't technically "ask" for it.
> 
> *** allow national parties to use independent
> committees to raise unlimited soft money with no
> disclosure as long as the committee was set up by
> November 6, 2002.  
> 
> In December, the FEC adopted a regulation
> allowing special interests to pay the cost of a
> commercial for a federal candidate - as long as
> the ad runs at least 120 days before the primary
> or general election and doesn't explicitly
> advocate a candidate's election or defeat.
> 
> "Now that campaign reform is no longer in the
> spotlight, Dems and Repubs are making a mockery
> of the bill they supported," said Pete Looker, a
> certified chimney sweep, who recently ran for
> State Assembly in Saratoga County, New York on a
> platform of making a clean sweep on campaign
> financing.  
> 
> The Green Party of the United States accepts no
> contributions from corporations and political
> action committees and accepts contributions from
> individuals only up to $10,000 per year, half of
> what is permitted by law.
> 
> "We support full public financing of elections,
> free air time, and mail under reasonable
> conditions for every qualified candidate so that
> political debate, public policy, and legislation
> can be judged on its merits, not on the quid pro
> quo of political barter and money," said Jo
> Chamberlain, California Green and member of the
> party's national Steering Committee.  "These
> measures are the only way to ensure that
> national, state, and local challenges will be
> addressed according to the needs of people and
> the health of our environment."
> 
> 
> MORE INFORMATION
> 
> The Green Party of the United States
> http://www.gp.org
> National office: 1314 18th Street, NW
> Washington, DC 20036
> 202-296-7755, 866-41GREEN
> 
> Matt Ahearn, New Jersey State Assembly District
> 38 
> (201) 261-8228
> http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/Members/ahearn.asp
> 
> Center for Responsive Politics 
> http://www.opensecrets.org 
> 
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> 



--- Tim Carpenter
--- sheilacarp at earthlink.net