E-mail from Sherrod Brown

[babsbunny]

Dear Friend,

If you saw that disclaimer--“This ad was sponsored by the Chinese government”--at the bottom of a political commercial, you’d jump right out of your chair. Our elections should be decided by American citizens--not corporations, and certainly not foreign governments.

Of course, you won’t see that disclaimer on ads running in Ohio. But when you see an ad sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, do you really know who paid for it?

There are local Chambers of Commerce across Ohio and around the country that fulfill an important role in our communities--these are people we know, trust, and work with every day.

But the national Chamber of Commerce has decided to pour tens of millions of dollars into electing a Congress more to its liking. And the worst of it is, we have no idea where that money really came from. Big oil companies looking for weaker regulation? Drug companies trying to protect their monopolies? We just don’t know--because the Chamber of Commerce doesn’t have to tell us.

Recently, we learned that the Chamber even raises money from corporations in other countries--including some controlled by foreign governments.

No wonder the Chamber worked so hard to stop us from passing the DISCLOSE Act, which would finally bring some transparency to corporate campaign ads and allow us to find out just how much influence wealthy special interests--including those overseas--have gained over our democracy.

If you’ve watched TV in Ohio this year, you’ve seen the Chamber of Commerce attacking Democrats like Lee Fisher and Mary Jo Kilroy. But the next time you see one of those attack ads, remember that you don’t know who’s really paying for it. And remember that our democracy will only belong to us as long as we’re willing to fight to keep it that way.

Thanks for standing with me,

Sherrod Brown

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. A BIG K&R!