All posts by California Nurses Shum

Bay Area

The Tyranny of the Donors

What’s good for donors is bad for voters.  What’s good for political consultants is bad for democracy.  Clean money elections are the next California political earthquake.  Just look at what’s in the news today:

 

Steve Schmidt has left the Bush White House and now appears to be getting paid $50,000 or so a month to run Schwarzenegger’s bid for re-election as California Governor, reports Capitol Weekly.  $50,000!  No wonder Arnold plans on raising $120 million this year.  Schmidt now joins the big-dollar corporate donors in the small group who benefit personally from the  Schwarzenegger’s campaign, AND who have extra motivation to keep alive the bizarro world system of huge fundraising that has come to define California politics.

Columnist Dan Walters in The Sacramento Bee reports that the California election season began this week.  What does that mean?  Arnold is out fundraising at the posh Beverly Hilton–with his event being invaded by nurses and other union workers–and the Democratic candidates are up on television to the tune of millions of dollars a month. What were you expecting, a policy debate?

Meanwhile, the San Jose Mercury News today reports that Mayor Ron Gonzales is pushing a plan to run clean money elections in the city.  Clean Money elections provide for public financing of the campaigns for qualified candidates, thereby decreasing the influence of lobbyists, fundraisers, and consultants, and increasing voter participation.

The California Nurses Association is sponsoring an initiative on the November, 2006 ballot to bring Clean Money elections to the state. Our campaign begins in April as we hit the streets to collect 600,000 signatures in a month, which we can only do with your help.  Please visit us at www.CalNurses.org/CleanMoney and sign up to help!

Put it another way: no more $2000 candelabras!

Uncategorized

Remember Arnold the Reformer?

Quick quiz…was the following said by A) Bill Moyers or B) Arnold Schwarzenegger:

“It is inherently suspect for politicians to be taking money from lobbyists while they are spending the people´s money.”

The answer is Arnold Schwarzenegger, during the recall of 2003, which is instructive because it shows where the people of California are.  They want an end to the corruption, fundraising, negative ads, lobbyists, cash-register politics, and all that.

In this context, today’s financial reports show how much damage the Arnold era is doing to our state.  Not only has he embarked on a quest for $120 million, but his financial arms race is forcing Steve Westly and Phil Angelides to raise more $$$ than Gray Davis ever dreamed of.

Mad yet?  Well, there’s hope.

The California Nurses Clean Money & Fair Elections initiative will appear on this November’s ballot.  Clean money elections, which allow qualified candidates to avoid fundraising by having their campaigns publicly financed, is already working well in Arizona, Maine, and Connecticut.  Voter participation is up, lobbyist influence is down, and corporate ‘special’ interests are suddenly feeling unloved.

Help bring it here to California.  In April we will be collecting signatures, and that’s when we need you!  Sign up to volunteer at www.CalNurses.org/CleanMoney . Thanks!