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Tolerance of unpopular ideas and the people who espouse them is a fundamental American value, one regrettably threatened by attempts to block the creation of an Islamic community center and mosque in lower Manhattan, Common Cause and other organizations and individuals argue in a statement released today.

"The politicians and commentators leading the fight against the center are stoking a mob mentality that could scarcely be more un-American; they seek to make enemies out of their fellow countrymen," the statement asserts.
 

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick today is scheduled to sign into law legislation that would reform the electoral college system and establish a national popular vote once enough states have signed on. Advocates will hold a telephone press conference to answer questions and dispel misperceptions about the plan at 1:30 today.

Massachusetts is set to become the sixth state to join the interstate compact that would guarantee the presidency to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states, once a sufficient number of states have passed identical laws. The Bay State will add 12 electoral votes to the compact, which has already been enacted by Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington, bringing the total number to 73, or 27 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate the proposal.

When the Democrats won control of Congress in 2006, party leaders pledged to pass and enforce tough ethical standards.

With the announced allegations and pending trials against Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), it appears that they are living up to that vow.

Common Cause is troubled to learn that the subcommittee investigating Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) has recommended only a “reprimand” for the 13 allegations aired publicly against him Thursday.

"A reprimand would publicly embarrass Congressman Rangel and forever blemish his record," said Bob Edgar, Common Cause’s president. "But these allegations, if proven, merit more than embarrassment. They should carry a real penalty – perhaps a fine and/or the permanent loss of committee chairmanships or assignments. A reprimand is what parents give when kids forget to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ It’s not what members of Congress should get when they break House rules or violate laws."

Today’s long-delayed release of detailed charges against Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), and Rep. Rangel’s written response, underscores the seriousness of the allegations – for Rep. Rangel and Congress.

"If Rep. Rangel has broken the law or violated House rules, he should be punished," said Common Cause President Bob Edgar. "If what he’s done is legal, the law should be changed."

Today’s failure by the Senate to even consider the DISCLOSE Act means that Congress, and the Senate in particular, is about to face American voters having done nothing to counter the most serious attack in years on fairness and transparency in our political system.

The vote means that corporations, including those based overseas, plus unions and other special interests will likely be free to pour as much money as they like into this fall’s campaigns, without having to reveal their activities to anyone, including their shareholders. This results from a US Supreme Court decision in a case known as Citizens United that earlier this year lifted a decades-old ban on corporate and union spending around elections. The Senate today voted against proceeding to a full floor debate on the DISCLOSE bill, which was introduced as a response to Citizens United. The bill has already cleared the US House

The legal/ethical questions surrounding Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) have festered for far too long. The outline of the allegations made public Thursday has been apparent for two years; given Mr. Rangel’s reported cooperation in the investigation there is no good reason why it should have taken so long to either charge or clear him. The House needs to find a better way to police itself fairly AND promptly.

Finally, however, the Ethics Committee has acted. If a Congressman with Mr. Rangel’s seniority can be hauled before the bar, every member has reason to take care to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

Common Cause and Public Campaign led a trolley tour of congressional fundraising hotspots today with George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Betsy Ross demanding entry into these high-dollar events. Stops included the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), BP lobbyists and Washington, D.C. powerhouse The Podesta Group, and the Capitol Hill Club. These historical figures lamented our corrupting campaign finance system that assures special interests a far louder voice in our democracy than average working Americans.

“Today’s events may cause some laughs, but the issue is serious: our political system has become one that puts the interests of corporations and their lobbyists ahead of the needs of every day Americans,” said Nick Nyhart, president and CEO of Public Campaign. “We need to restore our government to one by, of, and for the people.”

The Campaign for Fair Elections, which includes Common Cause and Public Campaign, as well as the “Founding Fathers” of our country, will lead a trolley tour of hotspot congressional fundraising on Wednesday, June 30. This tour will feature Founding Fathers in authentic costume, lamenting our corrupting campaign finance system that assures special interests a far louder voice in our democracy than average working Americans.

June 30 is also the last day of the second financial quarter and members of Congress will be trying to fit in as much last-minute fundraising as possible to meet their campaign money goals.

Common Cause applauds the U.S. House today for passing the DISCLOSE Act, while at the same time urging Congress to do more to raise the voices of everyday Americans in our political process.

"The DISCLOSE Act provides much needed transparency to our political process," said Common Cause President Bob Edgar. "But DISCLOSE was designed to blunt a bad Supreme Court decision that opened the floodgates of corporate and union spending around elections. Congress needs to do more than simply pass DISCLOSE to ensure that the voices of average Americans are not drowned out by millions of dollars in special interest cash."

In light of questions raised around results of the South Carolina Democratic Party primary race for US Senate, Common Cause and Voter Action request the South Carolina State Elections Commission take immediate steps to launch an investigation of the state's voting systems, as well as preserve voting data for a thorough investigation.

The reported results last week of the South Carolina Democratic primary election for the US Senate have raised questions among voters and observers as to whether the state's electronic voting system malfunctioned or was intentionally hacked. Those who believe there may have been voting system malfunctions that led to unusual results point to the fact that disparities exist between the precinct-based count and the absentee ballot count, the latter of which involves the use of a paper ballot optical scan system. 

Common Cause and Public Campaign released the following statement today in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s order today blocking the release of matching funds to candidates for office in Arizona who have opted into their Clean Elections program.

It's hard to think of two states more politically, culturally and socially disparate than Massachusetts and Utah – one Catholic, liberal and urban, the other Mormon, conservative and rural.

But in the wake of this year's primaries and special elections, it's clear that Bay Staters and Utahans have plenty in common, not only with each other but with Pennsylvanians, West Virginians and Kentuckians, among others. The angry, frustrated electorate that in January replaced the late Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) with Scott Brown (R-MA) has now dumped well-established lawmakers like Sens. Bob Bennett (R-UT) and Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV), and rejected the hand-picked candidate – Trey Grayson (R-KY) – of Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.

Change Congress Founder and Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig said, “The funders who take this pledge are making an extraordinarily important statement. Our democracy, as it is funded right now, gives these individuals enormous power. But they are saying: we don't want that power. We want instead a system where ‘the People,’ not ‘the Funders,’ have the power.”

 introduced today by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) to blunt the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. the Federal Elections Commission is important, but must go further to address the problem of big money in our political process, according to campaign finance watchdogs Public Campaign and Common Cause.

“Now is the time for Congress to free itself from Wall Streets’ grip so Main Street can get a fair shake,” said Bob Edgar, president and CEO of Common Cause. “The legislation introduced today is important, but to give Americans a voice in their democracy we need an alternative for candidates who don’t want to spend all their time courting special interests. The Fair Elections Now Act would do that, and must be part of Congress’ legislative response to the Citizens United decision.”

As a Senate committee Thursday holds a hearing on the filibuster, Common Cause is urging reform of the rule that has become a tool of obstruction and barrier to progress on issues large and small in the US Senate.

 “The ‘world’s greatest deliberative body’ no longer describes what Americans have witnessed on Capitol Hill over the past few years,” said Common Cause President Bob Edgar. “Debate and deliberation have given way to grandstanding and complete gridlock. Citizens have witnessed an abuse of Senate rules that threatens to undermine faith in our democratic process. These filibuster hearings are an essential component of understanding just how entrenched these practices have become in preventing progress,” said Edgar. He commended the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration for holding the hearing.