Commitment to stopping big money in politics
Published: September 20, 2020
Author: Luann D'Agostino
"Politics" should not be a dirty word; in fact, it's basically at the core of all human interactions. Simply put, politics "is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups" (source: Wikipedia). Any time that there are two or more people involved in anything (choosing a restaurant, playing a game, running a state, etc.), there will be politics by definition.
This, however, does not mean that there should be crushing inequalities or skewed power dynamics, and that's exactly what's happened in America, specifically after Citizens United v. FEC. Because money is now legally speech, lobbyists and the giant corporations whom they serve have disproportionate power over all of us, and so do individually-wealthy citizens running for office. These people, with practically unlimited resources, have effectively drowned out the voices of everyone else.
Because of this, I have signed the American Promise Candidate Pledge in support of a U.S. Constitutional Amendment to stop big money dominating our politics and empower all Americans. When passed, such an Amendment will:
Increase political representation of ordinary Americans
Foster more competition, more free speech, and better debate in elections
Empower states and communities to govern our own elections, free of dominating outside influence
Ensure Americans don’t have to buy our political voice
Once elected, I will use my office to advance this Constitutional Amendment, be it through sponsoring bills, resolutions, or other legislation advancing proposal or ratification of this Amendment; voting in favor of such bills and resolutions; and publicly advocating for the necessity of this Amendment.
My vote is not for sale, and your voice shouldn't be drowned out by big money. Let's fix this together.
Learn more about this national effort at https://americanpromise.net/pledge.
