FTP-MD: Looking ahead to the 119th Congress
Charlie Cooper
June 17, 2024
Colleagues,
Can Congress strengthen democracy?
Looking ahead to the 119th Congress, there may be an opportunity to achieve some of the political equality legislation we have been working toward for the past decade:
- The Freedom to Vote Act. The bill would ban dark money, end gerrymandering, protect the neutrality and security of election administration, and assure that every citizen has an equal opportunity to vote and have that vote counted.
- The John R. Lewis Act to restore preclearance whereby the Department of Justice would have to pre-approve changes in election rules by states that have a history of preventing targeted groups from voting.
- DC Statehood.
-
Supreme Court Reform bills would
Expand the number of justices,
Set term limits,
Create ethics and accountability enforcement.
Rep. Sarbanes announced a new small-donor matching bill this past week. Originally, this was a component of his For the People Act, but Sen. Manchin succeeded in replacing the Sarbanes comprehensive public financing program with a pilot program. Reps. Jamie Raskin and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez announced that they will introduce a bill making Supreme Court justices subject to the same $50 gift limit that applies to members of Congress.
It is a sad fact of our billionaire-dominated political system, that none of this legislation can be passed unless the Democratic Party controls both chambers of Congress. That fact alone, however, would not guarantee success. Millions of voters across the nation will have to send clear messages that this type of legislation is important and must be enacted.
How should we work to promote these bills?
With the announcement that John Sarbanes, champion of the Freedom to Vote Act, is leaving Congress (interview here), we are witnessing a new chapter in the struggle to promote political equality legislation in Congress. We will convene on Monday, June 24, at 7:30 pm, via our usual Zoom link to share perspectives on the situation and propose strategies. I propose that we start visiting some of the leading candidates for Congress with whom we have not built relationships -- Angela Alsobrooks and Larry Hogan for Senate, Sarah Elfreth in District 3, Johnny Olszewski in District 2, and April McClain Delaney and Neil Parrott in District 6. Let's ask them to support our agenda and see what they say. If they are in support, let's get them on public record. If not, let's figure out how to apply people power.
Please brainstorm and bring your ideas to the teleconference.
Top, Angela Alsobrooks, left, Larry Hogan,
right.
Bottom left to right, Johnny Olszewski, Sarah
Elfreth, April McClain Delaney, and Neil Parrott.
Former Congressman John Lewis saw a democracy crisis coming. In the last years of his life he championed the Freedom To Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Join us for rallies across the country for Democracy on July 17 -- the four-year mark of the passing of Rep. John Lewis. Click here to register for the event in Washington, DC.
NY
Times: In a letter to the editor,
House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi advocates weakening the Senate
filibuster in order to ease the passage of pro-democracy
legislation.
Washington Post: Donald Trump gathered a group of wealthy oil executives to his mansion and made a quid pro quo pitch for them to finance his campaign. "You all are wealthy enough, he said, that you should raise $1 billion to return me to the White House. At the dinner, he vowed to immediately reverse dozens of President Biden's environmental rules and policies and stop new ones from being enacted. . . ." Also read here for possible violations by Trump of federal rules against campaigns coordinating with outside spenders.
Open Secrets: Trump's interconnected campaign committees have spent $184 million on legal fees since 2016, of which $81 million has been spent during the 2024 election cycle. Biden has spent about $4 million on legal fees since the start of the 2020 presidential cycle and has contributed $31 million to a fund within the Democratic National Committee to be used for recounts and other legal matters.
Politico: Leonard Leo, the principle chief of a conservative network of interconnected dark money "nonprofit" corporations that influence the federal judiciary, also operates a private, for- profit consulting company. It seems that the nonprofit groups sent over $6 million to Leo's private company for "consulting." The DC Attorney General is investigating whether the nonprofit groups have violated federal limits on nonprofit activity.
The San Francisco Standard: Billionaires want the Supreme Court to help them hide their SF campaign ad spending. The Institute for Free Speech is appealing to the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that a San Francisco disclosure law for political ads is constitutional. The law was adopted on a referendum by a vote of 77% of the electorate. [In the 2010 Citizens United ruling, the Court was clear that they approve of disclosure requirements, but more recently they have been inching toward protecting the identity of big donors and campaign spenders.]
Politico: American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) targets Jamal Bowman with Republican money in the upcoming Democratic primary election in NY because of his advocacy for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. They use ads that do not mention Israel or Palestine and that directly endorse measures that the Republican donors themselves oppose such as infrastructure spending. [This is similar to the tactics AIPAC used in supporting Sarah Elfreth in Maryland.]
Washington Post: High-profile crypto fraud cases have not prevented the House from passing a bill aimed at switching crypto regulation from the SEC -- where Gary Gensler wants to institute strict regulation to protect investors -- to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which seems poised to let crypto cowboys have their way. Campaign donations from crypto-related donors and crypto-linked PACs run into the hundreds of millions. The article shows the Top 10 who received crypto support. The House bill passed with near-unanimous Republican support and dozens of Democrats also approving. [NOTE: Candidate Alsobrooks has received crypto cash support. Not sure about others in Maryland - Charlie Cooper]
The Supreme Court has ruled that partisan gerrymandering is "not justiciable." Congress could outlaw it, but that was defeated on January 20, 2022, when senators Sinema and Manchin and all the Republicans thought that the filibuster rule was more important than non-partisan districts. Now the Court has overturned a federal District Court ruling that the South Carolina Congressional map is a racial gerrymander. The majority opinion by Justice Alito said that the lower court clearly erred in calling it a racial gerrymander, when it is actually a partisan, pro-Republican gerrymander. Therefore, the skewed map will stand. Under this reasoning, nearly any racial gerrymander can magically become partisan -- and therefore untouchable -- gerrymander.
Prof. Steve Vladeck: The Supreme Court has adopted the Purcell rule, which provides a new method for them to erode voting rights. The rule states that federal courts should not change election rules "too close" to an upcoming election -- even if the rules in place violate federal laws. Of course, the purpose of changing the rules would be to guarantee an equal right to vote, but the Court stated that changes too close to an election could do greater harm than disenfranchising some voters by confusing a greater number of voters. Prof. Vladeck criticizes the rule on several grounds:
- The rule was adopted on the shadow docket, without arguments or a signed opinion.
- There is no definition of what is "too close," and the Court invoked the rule 9 months before an election to keep (probably) unfair Congressional districts in place in Alabama.
- Traditional rules for deciding these cases could have
taken voter confusion into account amongst other factors, weighing the
relative harms of each.
ProPublica: "ProPublica previously reported on how just six right-wing advocates challenged the voter registrations of 89,000 Georgians following the 2021 passage of a controversial law that enabled residents to file unlimited voter challenges." These right-wing campaigns targeting Democratic-leanig voters threaten to overwhelm election officials. The legislature has passed and the Governor has signed a law that "will make it easier for Georgia residents to use questionable evidence when challenging fellow residents’ voter registrations."
Maryland News
Fair Vote: In Maryland's recent primary elections for vacant congressional seats (for example) nominees were elected with as little as 25% support. In other words, 75% of voters picked other candidates. Ranked choice voting could have assured that nominees had support from most voters. It would likely have attracted candidates with broader appeal.
Baltimore Brew: Big money fared poorly in Baltimore City's recent primary election (which is more important than the general election). One candidate with public campaign financing defeated Council member Eric Costello, an ally of right-wing ideologue David Smith (see below) and "darling of developers and downtown businessmen."
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting: David Smith is Executive Chairman of Sinclair broadcasting, which owns or operates almost 300 local TV stations across the nation, including Baltimore's channel 45. Mr. Smith, a right-wing ideologue, recently bought the Baltimore Sun. He financed a large portion of the mayoral campaign of Sheila Dixon. "Smith settled on his chosen candidate after she agreed to his 'checklist' of demands, which included firing the police and schools chiefs, and dismantling a violence-prevention program." [Dixon lost.]
GMOM and For the People -- Maryland teleconference
Meeting Monday, June 24, 2024
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Onward together,
Charlie Cooper
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Get Money Out - Maryland · Baltimore, MD 21209, United States
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