CEOs to Congress: Use taxpayer money for campaigns

[kpete]

Source: USA Today

CEOs to Congress: Use taxpayer money for campaigns
01:40 PM

More than 40 current and former corporate executives on Friday urged Congress to pass taxpayer funding for congressional campaigns -- and stop asking busy business leaders for political cash.

The letters sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were signed by executives with Ben & Jerry's, Playboy Enterprises, Hasbro and others.

It's part of a major push by watchdog groups to jump-start legislation that would bring public funding to congressional campaigns -- and comes a day after the Supreme Court issued a sweeping decision that allows corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts on ads to elect or defeat federal candidates. (The legislation has more than 120 sponsors in the House, and six in the Senate, but has not moved beyond the level of committees. Public funding is already available in presidential campaigns.)

The executives wrote:

As business leaders, we believe the current political fundraising system is already broken. The Supreme Court decision further exacerbates this problem. Members of Congress already spend too much time raising money from large contributors. And often, many of us individually are on the receiving end of solicitation phone calls from members of Congress. With additional money flowing into the system due to the Court's decision, the fundraising pressure on Congress will only increase.

The full letter can be found here.
http://www.fairelectionsnow.org/businessleaders

Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/01/ceos-tell-congress-use-taxpayer-money-for-campaigns/1

[Xipe Totec]

1. Apportion the money based on voter registration & party affiliation

with independent registered voters funding independent candidates.

[Downwinder]

2. Why not just auction positions on E-bay? As long as money is the criteria. n/t

[DJ13]

3. Its a start

I noticed they're using the current matching funds in Presidential elections as the model they want for Congress, but thats not the answer because the candidates running for President have the option of not accepting the federal funds, which lets them use private donations (and now corporate funding).

What is needed is federally funded elections with no way to opt out.

[Qutzupalotl]

4. Wow, that was unexpected.

Let's hope we can get momentum behind public financing before the onslaught of corporate money hits.

[TheMadMonk]

11. Not if you really think about it. These will be the smaller corp. players.

The ones who have no chance at all competing with the big boys of Wall Street, and could all too easily be swallowed whole by the Megacorps who will own the politicians making (and unmaking) the laws governing monopolies.

[WCGreen]

12. I have learned to read through the thread so that I don't repeat

what has already been said...

So, Well said...

[robinlynne]

16. Some of them are lefties. simply good people, as opposed to self-interested.

[davidwparker]

5. Sounds good to me. While you are at it, limit the time period for elections

Like they do in the UK.

I'm sick of all of them and the less that I see their faces the better.

[BlueIdaho]

6. Until then...

Make every publicly held company ballot their stockholders prior to any campaign spending. Make every corporate CEO end every political add appearing on camera stating they approve the message. Make politicians display the logos of all of their corporate backers on their web sites on all print advertising, and on all campaign vehicles.

Lets drown these fuckers in their corporate money.

[defendandprotect]

7. We could also mandate that all contributions be ANONYMOUS . . .!!!

[robinlynne]

17. wtf?. how about exactly the opposite!

[tabatha]

8. Ben & Jerry's is liberal.

Maybe they are taking the initiative here.

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. Ben & Jerry's is a division of the British-Dutch Unilever conglomerate.

The owners sold out the ice cream business a few years ago.

[Luciferous]

9. Good for them! K&R

[shireen]

10. here's the list ... see who's NOT listed.

Signed,
Berkley Bedell ----- Founder & Former President, Pure Fishing
Peter A. Benoliel ----- Chairman Emeritus, Quaker Chemical Corporation
Edgar M. Bronfman, Sr. ----- Former President and CEO, Seagram’s, Ltd.
Allan Brown ----- Chairman of the Board, Vance Brown Builders
Richard M. Burnes, Jr, ----- Founder and General Partner, Charles River Ventures
Frank Butler ----- President (Ret.), Eastman Gelatine Corp.
Ben Carlisle ----- President, Allegiant Partners Inc.
Ben Cohen ----- Founder, Ben & Jerry’s
Charles Couric ----- Founder & Past President, Brita Products Company
Richard Foos ----- President, Shout! Factory
Walt Freese ----- CEO, Ben & Jerry’s
Murray Galinson ----- Former Chairman (Ret.), San Diego National Bank
Gerald Grinstein ----- Strategic Director, Madrona Venture Group & Former CEO of Delta Airlines
Mike Hannigan ----- President, Give Something Back
Alan G. Hassenfeld ----- Chairman of the Executive Committee, Hasbro, Inc.
Christie Hefner ----- Former Chairwoman & Chief Executive, Playboy Enterprises
Arnold Hiatt ----- Former Chief Executive Officer, Stride Rite, Inc. & Chairman, Stride Rite Foundation
William N. Hubbard III ----- President, Center Development Corporation
Frederick S.Hubbell ----- Chairman (Ret.), Insurance and Asset, Management Americas, ING Group
G. David Hurd ----- Emeritus Chairman, Principal Financial Group
Michael J. Johnston ----- Executive Vice President (ret.), Capital Group Companies
Mike Kappus ----- President, The Rosebud Agency
Harry P. Kamen ----- Chairman & CEO (Ret.), MetLife
Joe Keefe ----- President & CEO, Pax World Management Corp.
Earle W. Kazis ----- President, Earle W. Kazis Associates, Inc.
Steve Kirsch ----- Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Propel Accelerator & Chief Executive Officer, Abaca Technology Corporation & Chairman, Kirsch Foundation
Alan E. Kligerman ----- Chief Executive Officer, AkPharma Inc.
Thomas Layton ----- CEO, Metaweb Technologies
Mark Lichty ----- President & CEO (Ret.), Bustin Industrial Products
Vernon R. Loucks ----- Former CEO, Baxter International Inc.
Arnold Miller ----- Co-Founder, Isaacson Miller
Alan Patricof ----- Managing Partner, Greycroft, LLC
William Ruckelshaus ----- Strategic Director, Madrona Venture Group
Vincent J. Ryan ----- Chairman, Schooner Capital
Paul Sack ----- Principal, Sack Properties
Gordon Segal ----- Chairman, Crate & Barrel
Dick Senn ----- Founder & CEO, Tanamar, Inc.
Robert Sibarium ----- President, Midnite Enterprises LLC
Timothy Smith ----- Senior Vice President, Environment, Social and Governance Group, Walden Asset Management
Philippe Villers ----- President, GrainPro Inc.
George Zimmer ----- President & CEO, Men's Wearhouse

[anarch]

15. interesting

the last of the real capitalists, or something


something like that

[digidigido]

13. Or demand Congressmen wear NASCAR suits so we can see their Corporate Sponsors

[Bryn]

14. Perfect!

Very good idea!

[shireen]

18. +1 awesome idea!

:rofl:

[47of74]

24. Excellent idea

[blueworld]

19. Pathetic attempt at reverse psychology

I'll surely go along with public financing of campaigns & all corporate money OUT. However, I would like to suggest that these behemoths who benefit so substantially from being based in the US PAY their fair share of the taxes! They have more loopholes than a fishnet & we all know how they duck their fair share tax burden with overseas shelters etc.

They may think they'll scare the electorate who realize we can't afford much else right now, but it ain't workin' on me. We could afford plenty more if lobbying were illegal & that money had to be considered corporate taxable income, for example.

And please don't anyone tell me about the horrific 35% corp tax rate - the only corporations paying that are tiny little LLC's with people trying to BUILD their businesses & feed their families without benefit of huge bailouts.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

20. IOW: Protect Our Bonus.

:shrug:

[Uncle Joe]

22. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[fascisthunter]

23. kicking