Could the 99% lobby the politicians with cash too?

[Quixote1818]

This is probably a completely stupid idea and feel free to shoot it down, but I thought I would throw it out there and see if anyone had any ideas how it might work if done creatively? If the politicians are bought in the current system behind closed doors we are going to lose every time because we don't have anyone representing the people other than some small unions. But what if the 99% of us pooled enough money and told the politicians to do what we want them to do? For example the 99%ers have a pot to lobby for higher taxes on the top 1% and anyone who wants to pay into it can and then professional lobbyists go to Washington and make things happen with that cash. We could vote as a group as to what things we want to lobby for. Alone we have almost no money but as a group we still have around 50% of the nations wealth and enough to outbid the Koch Brothers etc. I see why there would be problems with this looking bad but I thought it was worth some brainstorming to see if it gives any brains out there some ideas. Maybe this is already being done in similar ways and I just don't know it?

[Amonester]

1. I had a similar thought (except for the 'lobbyist' part)...

which, I think, could lead somewhere.

:thumbsup: IMHO.

[leftstreet]

2. If you can raise enough money to bribe a politician, just run for office yourself

:-)

[Amonester]

4. Most of the 1% never run for office themselves.

They don't need the 'exposure' maybe...

[Amonester]

3. 'use their tools to beat them at their own game'

'use their tools for the GOOD of the people'

'instead of the good of just a few at the expense of the people'

[shraby]

5. Isn't that exactly what we are against? Why get dirty too and

discredit the 99% movement?

[Amonester]

6. Then, how will the movement succeed at changing

what we are against (please explain, if you know).

[JDPriestly]

7. The 99% simply do not have the money to compete with the 1%.

That is the whole problem. The 1% have hogged the money in our country. They also own the media and have purchased our politicians. We have to fight to get information and are ignored by our politicians who make big promises to us to get our votes which they break as soon as they get into office. (Think Obama and many members of Congress.)

[Amonester]

9. Let's say, if the polls are accurate, 65 to 70% of the people is a lot

of individuals. If 80% of them, on average, could, on average, spare 10 bucks for the cause(s)... of course, to politicians who would then campaign on 'getting money out of politics' for good... then legalize cannabis... then stop all wars... total the donations of 70 million people.... for a LAST round.

No?

[JDPriestly]

13. Still would not be enough money to compete with the likes of GE

and Exxon, for example. They not only own the politicians, they own the media.

And as we now know, they own the Fed and the banks and control the flow of money into our economy. They grabbed all the aces in the deck before our hands were dealt. Whenever they wish, they can play their aces, and even 99% of us cannot unite to do anything about it unless we get the aces they took out put back in the deck before the cards are dealt.

[DCKit]

8. The definition of "throwing good money after bad."

The political system is broken and needs to be scrapped.

[Amonester]

10. It needs to be scrapped. By Who?

And How?

[hughee99]

11. Isn't this how interest groups work?

MoveOn, PETA, the Sierra Club, the NRA, Code Pink, the ACLU, Labor unions (as you said)... The have a lot of members (not necessarily rich) they raise money from them, they hire lobbyists, they offer money (like the rich do), and votes and campaign support which can be just as valuable as money to elected officials.

[Amonester]

12. Rethinking about it, the hard part would be to Find the lobbyists...

who would be willing to lobby for a 'get big money out of politics' policy.

What if not one of them agrees to 'work to unemploy' him/herself? :shrug:

[yurbud]

14. even if we could collect the cash for the bribe, there are a couple of things we can't match

primarily high paying jobs as lobbyists, CEO's, do-nothing corporate board members when the politicians leave office, and for their wives and kids while they are still in office.

We also can't offer the juicy insider stock tips like getting the nod right before a bubble will burst.

Instead of trying to outbid them, we should change the system.

[sunflowerseed]

15. we should solely demand campaign fiance reform

I think OWS should solely demand campaign fiance reform. its the only way we could get the corporations and billionaires out of our government.

[Amonester]

16. The problem is, I doubt the 'generously bribed' politicians will ever

pass such a reform.

And in both chambers of Congress at that.

And with veto-proof majorities.

Not gonna happen with peaceful occupations.

With wide-spread general strikes for at least two to three weeks, though...

Is this the only way?