Kerri Chyka, Blue State Digital, (646) 385-1892<\/p>
Monica Walsh, (510) 710-3535<\/p>
Mary Boyle, Karaniwang Dahilan, (202) 736-5770<\/p>
Adam Smith, Public Campaign, (202) 997-8929<\/p>
Major Campaign Donors Launch Funders Pledge, Vowing Not to Donate to Politicians Unless They Support Fair Elections<\/p>
Change Congress, Common Cause and Public Campaign Action Fund Organize Funders Pledge to Support Fair Elections Now Act at FixCongressFirst.org <\/p>
Nearly 40 major campaign donors were among the first to sign a new Funders Pledge, promising to cease campaign donations unless politicians show support for the Fair Elections Now Act (FENA). The major grassroots online campaign surrounding the Funders Pledge officially launches today, and can be found at: http:\/\/www.fixcongressfirst.org\/pledge. Change Congress (http:\/\/fixcongressfirst.org), co-founded by Lawrence Lessig and Joe Trippi, is launching this national movement to push campaign finance reform and citizen funded elections, with Common Cause and the Public Campaign Action Fund. <\/p>
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.\"<\/p>
The Funders Pledge also aims to collect signatures from ordinary American citizens making a commitment not to donate to the campaign of any federal candidate who opposes the Fair Elections Now Act. Those who sign support the idea that the Fair Elections Now Act is the only bill that can begin to undo the damage of unrestricted special-interest donations corrupting the US political system. <\/p>
The campaign kicked off with a joint letter sent on April 30 from Hasbro, Inc. Chairman Alan Hassenfeld and Stride Rite founder and former CEO Arnold Hiatt to major campaign donors, which read: \"As we all can see, the urgency to enact public funding has never been more pressing. The American public is disgusted with Congress. The overwhelming majority believe money buys results in Congress. That cynicism is not going away until our government gives people a reason to believe that it is actually acting on their behalf. Congress is close to moving on this issue. We're asking you to help us to persuade them. All of us have been supporters of congressional campaigns, some of us for many years. However, we believe that it is time for us to unite behind re- moving the undue influence that large donors like us have.\" <\/p>
So far major campaign donors who have signed the Funders Pledge include: producer and director J.J. Abrams; Edgar Bronfman Jr., CEO of Warner Music; Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's; and Vin Ryan, Chairman of Schooner Capital. The estimated amount withheld from campaign donations from these individuals totals more than $1 million under the pledge. An extended list of major campaign donors who have signed the pledge to date is below. <\/p>
The online campaign launching today functions as such: <\/p>
Visit fixcongressfirst.org\/pledge to add your name to the pledge. <\/p>
We'll automatically check the records to find the contributions you've made of more than $200. All you have to do is enter an estimate of your campaign contributions from the last two election cycles of less than $200 (the government doesn't keep records of contributions of that size). <\/p>
Your total will be added to the amounts entered by everyone else, showing just how much campaign cash Congress members forfeit by opposing the Fair Elections Now Act. <\/p>
Once the pledges start rolling in, you'll be able to view the amount of contributions lost by every member of Congress on the \"Whip\" page: http:\/\/fixcongressfirst.org\/Whip <\/p>
However, people can participate in the pledge if they have made campaign donations on any level, whether it's $5, $50, or $1000. <\/p>
Lessig wrote in an email sent this morning, \"Today, we're starting a movement of citizens prepared to speak Congress' language . If all of us become lobbyists, we can make lobbying extinct - and show Congress that corporate interests can't match the power of millions of Americans acting as one.\"<\/p>
Along with Lessig, Change Congress board member Mark McKinnon is one of the leaders of this initiative. <\/p>
For more information on the Funders Pledge and Change Congress, visit fixcongressfirst.org.<\/p>
Here is a list of major campaign donors who have signed the Funders Pledge to date:<\/p>
J.J. Abrams; Film & TV producer<\/p>
Nancy Bagley; Editor-in-Chief, Washington Life Magazine; President, ARCA Foundation<\/p>
Edgar Bronfman; CEO, Warner Music<\/p>
Allan Brown; Chairman of the Board, Vance Brown Builders<\/p>
Ben Cohen; Co-founder, Ben & Jerry's; Founder of Sensible Priorities; overseer of True Majorities<\/p>
Peter Copen; Founder & President, Copen Family Fund<\/p>
Bowman Cutter; Chairman of the Board, CARE; Founder and Chairman, Microvest<\/p>
Rosemary Faulkner; Philanthropist<\/p>
Murray Galinson, former CEO, San Diego National Bank <\/p>
Alan Hassenfeld; Chairman, Hasbro, Inc.<\/p>
George Hatch; Advisory Trustee, John Merck Fund<\/p>
Arnold Hiatt; Founder, Stride Rite Corp., Chairman, Stride Rite Foundation, Chairman, Business for Social Responsibility<\/p>
John S. Johnson; Founder and Chair of EYEBEAM; established the Harmony Institute<\/p>
Mike Kappus; President, Rosebud Agency<\/p>
Joe Keefe; President & CEO, Pax World Management Corp. <\/p>
Steve Kirsch; Founder and Chairman, Propel Software; CEO, Abaca; established Kirsch Foundation<\/p>
Alan Kligerman; CEO and Founder, AkPharma, Inc. <\/p>
Steven Ko; married to Sophia Yan; MIT student<\/p>
John Luongo; Chairman and CEO of Vantive Corporation<\/p>
Rhonda Luongo; Married to John Luongo<\/p>
Katie McGrath; Founding Partner, First Tuesday Media; Change Congress Board Member<\/p>
Arnie Miller; Executive recruiter<\/p>
Dan Nova; General Partner for Highland Capital Partners; Co-Founder of Highland Consumer Funds; Change Congress Board member<\/p>
Dave Orton<\/p>
Lisa Orton<\/p>
William Polk<\/p>
Greg Price; Graduate student at MIT<\/p>
Jonathan Rose; Green real estate developer<\/p>
Vin Ryan; Chairman, Schooner Capital LLC<\/p>
Paul Sack<\/p>
Dick Senn; Political activist and Vice Chair of Change Congress Board<\/p>
Jennifer Soros; married to Jonathan Soros<\/p>
Jonathan Soros; President and Co-Deputy Chairman of Soros Fund Management<\/p>
Christopher Vargas; Founder of Generations Investments LLC and Cleantech Circle LLC<\/p>
Sophia Yen; Clinical Instructor at Lucile Parkard Children's Hospital at Stanford University; Founder of SheHeroes<\/p>"}}]},"yoast_head":"\n