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How to affect the Political Discourse in Washington DC
OpenSecrets.org
| 05/24/06
| garbageseeker
Posted on 05/24/2006 5:08:32 PM PDT by garbageseeker
I was watching today the debates of the immigration reform package that is curremtly before the Senate. And I was thinking to myself, "Was I duped in giving money to this person?" Well, the answer is that the people, rather the individual donors, truly have power. What is considered an individual donor? In the actual numbers given, this is the biggest. Many more checks arrive from $10-100 than the $1000 check. Those $10-100 checks comes from Joe Q. Public not a PAC or corporation.Individual donations also plays a extremely important role in funding the political parties.The direct mail operation brings in billions of dollars .According to Open Secrets.org, the induividual donor accounts for 9.7 percent of the House Republican campaign budget and about 11.3 percent of the Senate Republican campaign budget. Just imagine if 9.7 percent of the House and 11.3 percent of Senate campaign donations were suddenly gone. There would be panic in the streets of Washington because voters sent their money to someone or some group who would listen them. My arguement is that if more people withheld the money from politicans who make very poor judgements in their voting (the illegal immigrant issue) you would be less likely to vote against their constituients. This will force the politicians in all levels of government to become more accountable to the voters. The bricks from Send-a-Brick are a very good symbolic weapon but it does not have the stinging power of campaign funds drying up. The power of the purse is an extremely powerful and potent weapon, especially to politicians who depend on it.Vote with your checkbook because it holds so much power. I would like to read your comments.
TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Politics
KEYWORDS: 109th; alien; aliens; amnesty; arizona; border; borderslist; bushbash; california; cira; congress; corruption; florida; gilchrist; govwatch; hr4437; illegalaliens; illegalimmigration; illegals; immigrantlist; immigration; kansas; newyork; oregon; politics; senate; texas; us; washington
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To: garbageseeker
2
posted on
05/24/2006 5:28:15 PM PDT
by
garbageseeker
("Opinion is ultimately determined by feeling and not by intellect" Herbert Spenser)
To: garbageseeker
Remember, they never read your letters you write. Whether it is faxed,sent by snail mail or emailed. Most likely they delete your emails or shred your letters and faxes you took time to write. When you call their office, you usually get a staffer. It is extremely rare that a U.S. House Representative or Senator will respond to your correspondence.
The only way is to hurt them where it counts, in their financing of their campaigns. You need to realize that you truly have the power to affect votes in Washington with your pocket book.
3
posted on
05/27/2006 11:19:03 PM PDT
by
garbageseeker
("Control Your Own Destiny or Somebody Else Will"- Jack Welch GE CEO)
To: garbageseeker
I've been using a combination of the Congressional race section of
Open Secrets and the "grades" section of
Better Immigration to help me find out who to spread my money out to. The choice for me seems to be either something like a nice flat screen TV + a dying U.S. or lots of political donations to the right places + a better future.
4
posted on
05/28/2006 12:14:00 AM PDT
by
gaussia
To: gaussia
5
posted on
05/28/2006 12:15:06 AM PDT
by
garbageseeker
("Control Your Own Destiny or Somebody Else Will"- Jack Welch GE CEO)
To: garbageseeker
Sending money right places and the right people is the key
6
posted on
05/28/2006 12:22:17 AM PDT
by
garbageseeker
("Control Your Own Destiny or Somebody Else Will"- Jack Welch GE CEO)
To: garbageseeker
Basically we bribe them like peasants in some third world whole.
7
posted on
05/28/2006 1:12:25 AM PDT
by
claudiustg
(¡En español, por favor!)
To: claudiustg
8
posted on
05/28/2006 1:13:03 AM PDT
by
claudiustg
(¡En español, por favor!)
To: garbageseeker
How is a politician going to know you haven't sent contributions unless you send a letter telling the politician that you withheld them?
As ironic as it may be, assuming the House holds firm on its tougher, close-the-border-first immigration bill, the Republicans might just lose the Senate but retain control of the House!
This is the exact opposite of what most Democrat pundits have been predicting might happen. They have mostly written off the Senate, but somehow see opportunities in the House.
It is not an outcome I want to see, but considering public opinion regarding the "Amnesty Bill," and other factors, it is actually more likely that the Republicans could lose the Senate but not the House in 2006.
The result of such an outcome would be a vitriolic Democrat majority in the Senate that is unable to provide its base with the much hoped for impeachment proceedings against the President because such proceedings must begin in the House.
Then, after the Democrat Majority in the Senate has had about two years to make a holy, ass-clown show of itself, and the Democrats inevitably nominate the fatally flawed Hillary Clinton to run in 2008, we might have a real Conservative Republican Presidential candidate with popular coat tails broad enough to replace the RINO majority in the Senate with real Conservative Senators.
9
posted on
05/28/2006 2:03:29 AM PDT
by
TSchmereL
("Rust but terrify.")
To: TSchmereL
From your keyboard to God's ears. However assuming the House holds in '06, JQ Public will need to remember the S2611 vote in '08 for this to come about. Kinda gives new meaning to "Remember The Alamo"
To: garbageseeker
11
posted on
05/28/2006 2:17:40 PM PDT
by
davidosborne
(DavidOsborne.net)
To: davidosborne
Remember, they can still hit that delete button.
12
posted on
05/28/2006 2:32:00 PM PDT
by
garbageseeker
("Control Your Own Destiny or Somebody Else Will"- Jack Welch GE CEO)
To: TSchmereL
The politician will know you have not sent them a contributions when their budgets begin to fall. They do measure their contributions from the month before.
13
posted on
05/28/2006 2:34:40 PM PDT
by
garbageseeker
("Control Your Own Destiny or Somebody Else Will"- Jack Welch GE CEO)
To: garbageseeker
14
posted on
05/29/2006 12:40:12 AM PDT
by
davidosborne
(DavidOsborne.net)
To: davidosborne
When members of Congress or any politician see "form letters/mail" it definitely will end up in the trash or shredder.
15
posted on
05/29/2006 1:37:35 AM PDT
by
garbageseeker
(Audaces Fortuna Ivat-Fortune Favors the Brave/Virgil)
To: garbageseeker
I am not suggesting a "form letter".. I am suggesting EVERY American Citizen write a letter in thier OWN WORDS.. I have posted mine as an example...
16
posted on
05/29/2006 1:40:20 AM PDT
by
davidosborne
(DavidOsborne.net)
To: garbageseeker
I'm sure they don't read any type of correspondence either. But seems like I read somewhere that the staffers glance at them long enough to see if the person is 'pro' or 'con' on the issue, and keep an some kind of running total. Sure hope so anyway. And you're sure right about the money part of politics. The pen may be mighter than the sword, but the dollar is mighter than the pen.
17
posted on
05/29/2006 10:01:46 AM PDT
by
Orantx
('Government is force...and like fire,.. a dangerous servant and fearsome master' George Washington)
To: garbageseeker
Or rather I should say the dollar controls the pen, at least in politics.
18
posted on
05/29/2006 10:03:58 AM PDT
by
Orantx
('Government is force...and like fire,.. a dangerous servant and fearsome master' George Washington)
To: garbageseeker
Or rather I should say the dollar controls the pen, at least in politics.
19
posted on
05/29/2006 10:04:00 AM PDT
by
Orantx
('Government is force...and like fire,.. a dangerous servant and fearsome master' George Washington)
To: Orantx
There is an old Roman Proverb:
"Qui Costodiet Ipsos Custodies" translated "Who watches the Watchers?"
In this case of the politicians in Washington DC no one. They feel that they are not accountable to anyone except to some special interest or corporate PAC. That is why they are able tro constantly write bad pieces of legislation like the CIRA bill because no one is watching them and holding them accountable. You can write all the letters,fax or read to them and most likely they won't read them.Because politicians generally feel that they are accountable to no one, except when election season rolls around or some PAC. But, by hitting them below the financial contribution belt and stopping mail contributions you will make them accountable. You, the average citizen, will become the "watcher" by withholding financial contributions when they pass bad pieces of legislation. Then they will become more accountable to the voter
20
posted on
05/29/2006 3:33:19 PM PDT
by
garbageseeker
(Audaces Fortuna Ivat-Fortune Favors the Brave/Virgil)
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