Right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel has donated $10 million to a super PAC formed to support Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance, who is considering a run for U.S. Senate in Ohio. Thiel's massive donation illustrates the impotence of the nation's campaign finance system.
Judd, I am retired historian. I LOVE your work. It is so important. If I can ever research anything for you, let me know. I would love to help you...for free. I have time and don’t need money, so just let me know.
None of the Dem bills on voting rights will pass unless they end the filibuster. So they really need to ask themselves how much they want to expand voting rights. I'm getting pessimistic and starting to think that Dems don't actually want progressive change. They want to use the GOP blocking them as an excuse why they can't get anything done.
I'm actually quite hopeful that the Dems will work out an internal agreement to modify Senate rules. The easiest change is to require old style filibusters where a single senator holds the floor only as long as he's in the chamber talking. No yielding, no bio breaks. Talk or go to up/down vote on the bill.
You might want to take a good, long read of the stimulus bill that Dems and progressives just passed. I’m not sure where you’re coming from but this is and probably will be for a while yet, a centrist country. If the trump party splits and manages to veer so far right as to take the Senate out of play AND if the country hasn’t managed to go bankrupt, maybe more progressive ideas will be enacted. That’s an awful lot of “ifs” though and we have to dig ourselves out of this hole first. To save your sanity, take things one day at a time.
So true and I think the two main Senators stopping leadership from blowing up the filibuster totally would probably be much more open to using carve-outs to get key bills passed.
Thiel is a cancer on the body politic. The faster we can pass real campaign finance reform the better. When cancers are caught and eradicated early, the chances for survival are vastly improved.
"None of these provisions would eliminate the influence of money in politics. But they would provide some modest limitations on coordination between super PACs and candidates, making contributions to super PACs somewhat less valuable."
1. Does HR1 also include 100% visibility in real time? if not, why not?
2. Ban 'dark money' from political giving; if you're willing to support a candidate or cause, you should be willing to have your name out there as doing so.
3. Change the reporting intervals to be more consistent. Right now, donors report at this interval, campaigns report at that interval, and those intervals change if it's not an election year. Bullshit. First, impose real-time reporting: donors report donations and campaigns report receipts on the next business day. Campaigns report expenditures at least monthly, but I'd prefer weekly.
Thanks for keeping the pressure on GA corporations! A lot of work went into turning voters out in 2020 and 2021! We don't want to discourage them fro future voting with modern day Jim Crow laws!
Good job on Georgia! Wonder what is going on in the other states trying to pass similar voter supression laws.
Peter Thiel represents why I detest the 1% and their control over politics and unfortunately, our lives and our form of government.
The intention of "for the people and by the people" is lost because of Corporate and private donors PAC funding.
Judd, I am retired historian. I LOVE your work. It is so important. If I can ever research anything for you, let me know. I would love to help you...for free. I have time and don’t need money, so just let me know.
None of the Dem bills on voting rights will pass unless they end the filibuster. So they really need to ask themselves how much they want to expand voting rights. I'm getting pessimistic and starting to think that Dems don't actually want progressive change. They want to use the GOP blocking them as an excuse why they can't get anything done.
You are probably correct in many instances. Though without ensuring the rights of voters, they will not likely hold a majority again any time soon.
I'm actually quite hopeful that the Dems will work out an internal agreement to modify Senate rules. The easiest change is to require old style filibusters where a single senator holds the floor only as long as he's in the chamber talking. No yielding, no bio breaks. Talk or go to up/down vote on the bill.
I'm getting that vibe, too. I hope it isn't true.
If only the DNC hadn't black-balled Bernie Sanders in 2015...
You might want to take a good, long read of the stimulus bill that Dems and progressives just passed. I’m not sure where you’re coming from but this is and probably will be for a while yet, a centrist country. If the trump party splits and manages to veer so far right as to take the Senate out of play AND if the country hasn’t managed to go bankrupt, maybe more progressive ideas will be enacted. That’s an awful lot of “ifs” though and we have to dig ourselves out of this hole first. To save your sanity, take things one day at a time.
Modifying cloture and/or filibuster rules will go a long way towards instituting the most progressive set of legislation since LBJ.
So true and I think the two main Senators stopping leadership from blowing up the filibuster totally would probably be much more open to using carve-outs to get key bills passed.
I'll take it under advisement...
Thiel is a cancer on the body politic. The faster we can pass real campaign finance reform the better. When cancers are caught and eradicated early, the chances for survival are vastly improved.
Love this article. Realistic, yet hopeful.
"None of these provisions would eliminate the influence of money in politics. But they would provide some modest limitations on coordination between super PACs and candidates, making contributions to super PACs somewhat less valuable."
Just a few questions/items:
1. Does HR1 also include 100% visibility in real time? if not, why not?
2. Ban 'dark money' from political giving; if you're willing to support a candidate or cause, you should be willing to have your name out there as doing so.
3. Change the reporting intervals to be more consistent. Right now, donors report at this interval, campaigns report at that interval, and those intervals change if it's not an election year. Bullshit. First, impose real-time reporting: donors report donations and campaigns report receipts on the next business day. Campaigns report expenditures at least monthly, but I'd prefer weekly.
Poor Ohio.
Thanks for keeping the pressure on GA corporations! A lot of work went into turning voters out in 2020 and 2021! We don't want to discourage them fro future voting with modern day Jim Crow laws!
It seems like Vance doesn’t really want to work that hard either, with donations like that.
They'll find a way to skate around it. They always do.
Citizens United takes away that option. Rules and formulas are the only pathway short of a constitutional amendment.