Special interests – from Big Oil, to the Military-Industrial Complex, to tech giants like Amazon – want what’s best for them, and not for workers, communities, or the planet. And they know how to get it by spending big money to buy influence. As a result, Congress supports hawkish military policies, a business environment that… Read more
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Supreme Court Corruption Stories Show Why We Need to Stamp Big Money Out of Politics!
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It seems like the Supreme Court corruption stories will never end. ProPublica reported earlier this month that Justice Clarence Thomas has enjoyed 38 vacations due to the largesse of “industry titans and ultrawealthy executives”: Yacht trips around the Bahamas. Dozens of private jet flights, and 8 helicopter flights. VIP passes to sporting events. Luxury resort… Read more
Big Money Is Trying to Buy Our Democracy Behind the Scenes
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We talk a lot about how Big Money tries to influence our government through campaign contributions, independent expenditures, and unaccountable dark money spending. Usually, we think of how corporate interests spend on legislative and executive elections to benefit their bottom line. But we cannot ignore some of the subtler ways Big Money is undermining our… Read more
Oil & Gas Industry Spent Millions Lobbying Congress to Increase Record Profits
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What’s more frustrating than the oil and gas industry raking in record profits at the expense of consumers and the environment? Learning that they spent $124.4 million lobbying the federal government in 2022 for favorable legislation and regulations, and knowing that their spending has tangible results. A new report from Open Secrets found that the… Read more
The Unlucky 13th Anniversary of Citizens United
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January 21 will mark 13 years since the Supreme Court made its ill-fated Citizens United ruling, which allowed special interests to wield more influence than ever before on our political system. From 2010 through 2021, more than $4.4 billion in outside money was spent on federal elections alone (more than $1 billion of that was… Read more
Defense contractors spent $101 million lobbying this year. What are they hoping to get for Christmas?
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This holiday season, defense contractors have to be feeling pretty good. With Congress adding an extra $45 billion to President Biden’s request for the Pentagon, and the war in Ukraine increasing demand for weapons, the five biggest defense contractors have a lot to celebrate. And those defense contractors are spreading the wealth around to their… Read more
$2 BILLION and Counting: Outside Groups Tried to Buy the 2022 Midterm Elections
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Most Americans are breathing a sigh of relief this week. With election day in the rear-view mirror, they’re thankful that the deluge of political advertising will finally end. Of course, for those places where run-off elections will be held, the deluge will probably intensify (sorry, Georgia). Federal campaign spending this cycle approached $10 billion (with… Read more
What do all these campaign contributions buy?
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OpenSecrets recently released a report that estimates that the midterm elections will cost more than $9.3 billion – and they admit that’s a conservative estimate. Just let that sink in. $9.3 billion, and it’s not even a presidential election year. Even adjusted for inflation, that figure will blow away the previous record. If you’re thinking… Read more
Walking to Fix Our Democracy UPDATE! Rick Hubbard is Going West in September
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Last month, we told you about Rick Hubbard, who is walking across America to help inspire us to fix our broken democracy. Rick’s official walk begins on October 1, but in September he is driving from Vermont to Los Angeles to meet up with activists along the way. Rick has been good enough to share… Read more
Citizen Spotlight: Rick Hubbard is Walking across America to Fix Our Democracy
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This month, we’re spotlighting Rick Hubbard, who is walking across America to help inspire us to fix our broken democracy. Rick is a Vermont native and former national board member of Common Cause who previously walked with Granny D and has long advocated for ending the corrupting influence of big money in politics. Rick’s walk… Read more