Arianna DeMario, Elect Democracy Campaign Intern Extraordinaire

The following is a guest post by Arianna DeMario. Arianna is currently supporting the Elect Democracy campaign as an intern/volunteer. Before moving to the States, she worked as a project manager at Citizens For Europe e.V., an NGO based in Berlin, Germany, mainly active in the field of European citizenship and migrants’ political rights in the European Union.

A European Perspective on the 2012 U.S. Election

In my past two months here in the States, I have been asked numerous times how it felt -from a European point of view- to witness the 2012 U.S. electoral campaign and presidential elections from here in the U.S. But actually no European could answer this question without referring first to the initial impact of the previous elections in 2008.

By 2008, after 8 years of Bush era, a big slice of the European public opinion had lost their traditional admiration and interest in American politics and in Americans in general. The American dream, from the point of view of the old continent, was long over, and the U.S. had become for many not much more than a synonym of imperialism justified by the war on terror, social inequality, and environmental unconsciousness.

Then Obama happened. The electoral campaign of 2008 was maybe more passionate for most Europeans than Americans, with people supporting the Democrat candidate and engaging in various ways from Scandinavia to Southern Europe, in some cases moving to the States for some months to work with the Democrats. In July 2008, 200.000 people went crazy in Berlin listening to his speech under the Victory Column. In Europe, Obama had won longer before the elections of November 4th, because he had managed to bring back to Europe the American dream. Some months later, Americans did elect him. And the vote was so strong that everybody on the other side of the Atlantic had to recognise the fact that in spite of all that came out of the Bush era, American citizens had the courage to renew themselves and believe that a better country (and world) was possible.

The truth is, despite the support that Obama gained in Europe, I doubt that Europeans would have had the same courage and elected him, if they were to go to polls. In fact, a few months later we elected the most right-wing and regressive European Parliament ever (EP elections in June 2009).

That year, for the first time after a while, the U.S. gave Europe a lesson of democracy.

Then reality bit back. A couple of years later, Obama had proved not to have the magic wand to solve problems accumulated by years of bad governance, and not to be able to live up to such huge worldwide expectations. Most of his 2008 promises hadn’t turned into facts, the U.S. economy was not exactly blowing, and little had been done to reduce the Wall Street power and redistribute wealth from the 1% to the 99% in the American society.

Disillusion was deep on both sides of the Atlantic, and especially after the mid-term elections of 2010 American politics seemed to be meant to go back to the bad loop once again.

As if it wasn’t enough, the story of the Super PACs entered the game with the 2012 elections. Billions of private funding to the electoral campaign allowed by a ruling of the Federal Court…this would be science fiction in Europe, where most countries don’t even integrate lobbying practices in their political system and reject the idea of group of interests being able to influence the policy making. If all the above-mentioned conditions would have happened in the disenchanted, critical and politically unfaithful Europe, you can be sure that it would have been enough for a significant part of the European electorate to turn away from the previously much beloved candidate and fall into the hands of the first talented populist passing by. Those less impressionable would have nonetheless turned away their vote and either have given it to the other main candidate as a punishment or done what Europeans can do better in times of political disillusion: abstain. But once again, in 2012, a big democracy lesson came from the American citizen: For better or for worse, voting still remains one of the strongest democracy tools in the hands of the people (though a healthy democracy needs much more civic engagement, of course). As long as we don’t have valuable alternatives, there is no point in not making use of it. Of course the American vote, in most cases, was not a vote for the best as 4 years ago, but just a vote for the less worse…but still it showed the courage of American citizens to believe that it’s worth to give democracy one more chance.

The results that Tuesday night shot down much of the billions of dollars spent by some Super PACs to indirectly support the Republican campaign and influence the election results. This showed that the system of the big interests and the big money has an Achilles heel- it still can be beaten by participation. It shows that if people don’t turn away from politics, there is always a chance to shape a future that if it’s not going to be much better, at least is not going to be worse. It showed that if Obama can’t bring the change that he promised in 2008 (be it because of a lack of political will, or be it because of a lack of political power, with the House in the hands of the Republicans), people can do it by choosing not to have their vote sold to the highest bidder…

The day after the election Wall Street opened down: It can be defeated after all, if people don’t give up the exercise of democracy in its various forms. Restiamo uniti per difendere la democrazia!

TAKE ACTION:
What is *your* perspective on the U.S. election? Leave a comment below!

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Arianna De Mario is currently supporting the Elect Democracy campaign as an intern/volunteer. Before moving to the States,  she worked as a project manager at Citizens For Europe e.V., an NGO based in Berlin, Germany, mainly active in the field of European citizenship and migrants’ political rights in the European Union. She has also worked at DPA, the German Press Agency, and volunteered in several human rights organizations. Arianna holds a MA degree in European Studies from the University of Bath (UK) and the Humboldt University of Berlin, and a BA in languages from the University of Milan, Italy.

Lobbying is a multi-billion dollar industry. While it’s technically true that any constituent can go lobby or try to persuade their legislators, the vast majority of lobbying that is happening in our capitals is funded by -and promotes- corporate interests.

Tens of thousands of corporate lobbyists call the DC area home. Since 2008, Wall Street has spent over $2.2 billion on lobbying, largely in order to weaken and squirm out of financial regulations. Add in the pharmaceutical, HMO, agribusiness, business, oil & energy, and defense/militarism sectors and we’re talking nearly $4 billion since 2011 spent specifically to get corporations unprecedented (and undue) influence over all those folks we just elected into office.

In this year’s election, nearly $6 billion was spent to influence the 120 million votes of the American electorate. Compare that to the $2 billion spent lobbying by the top corporate sectors this year to influence a handful of decision-makers. No matter who gets into office, once the elections are over, corporations spend billions to influence the victor. While the corporate elite gave well-financed electioneering an old college try, now these interests will be lobbying harder than ever to influence the decisions of around 750 hundred key decision-makers (Congress, presidential administrators, and state and federal offices like the EPA, SEC and FDA) to get what they want directly from the people who can give it to them. If you were a greedy businessman, what would you do?

Sheldon Adelson may be lamenting, “I spent $60 million and all I got were these lousy House seats.” But now Adelson can just reroute money into lobbying, pay someone in a suit seven figures to put his feet up on the desk of a Congressperson, and still get a lot of what he wants, or at least less of what he doesn’t.

I don’t get to put my feet up on my Congressperson’s desk. I mean, I could try, but I would probably get in trouble. So why don’t lobbyists? They don’t deserve the proximity of influence and mental bandwidth of our elected leaders that their corporate-funded tactics afford them. Besides, these lobbyists usually aren’t even members of the constituencies that decision-makers were elected to represent!

Corporations are not people, and money is not speech. But the speech of people hired by corporations to do their bidding in Washington needs to be reined in. On the heels of an historical election and shifting political paradigm, we must be prepared in our civic activism to challenge corporate power plays beyond those unleashed by the Citizens United ruling. We must be vigilant in challenging the undue influence of corporate lobbyists. The voters and constituencies who just cleaned out DC expect integrity, and this means that legislators need to say NO to corporate lobbyists spoon-feeding them profit prioritizing policy and analysis… that’s not who they are elected to represent.

Voting truly does matter, but a healthy democracy requires ongoing participation.

If you want to take action to protect democracy now that the election has concluded, consider looking into Global Exchange’s Elect Democracy campaign and follow @ElectDemocracy and @GlobalExchange on Twitter.

See for yourself how much campaign money the last Congress received from Wall Street and their “Wall Street Loyalty Rate” based on how often their votes matched Wall Street’s lobby position. Most importantly, call your Congressperson and remind them that their job is to represent you, not lobbyists, in Congress.

Fact Sources:

• SuperPACs spent $629 million: MapLight.org
• Election cost $4.2 billion: Center for Responsive Politics:  OpenSecrets.org
• Lobbying costs: Center for Responsive Politics for a) $2.2 billion Wall Street in 2012, and b) $4 for top sector lobbying (opensecrets.org)

TAKE ACTION:

• Make the Call! Call your Congressperson and remind them that their job is to represent you, not lobbyists, in Congress.
• Leave a comment with your ideas about how to challenge the undue influence that corporate lobbyists have in DC.

You’re not crazy, it is getting worse.

Political campaigns have always involved a fair amount of mudslinging. But in the 2012 election, the amount of slinging and the quantities of mud have skyrocketed. According to MapLight analysis, twenty-one Super PACs have raised over $433 million to spend influencing the election. Think of it as 433 million more giant barrels of mud drowning our election in corporate political speech.

This is not what a healthy democracy looks like.

So What Exactly Is a Super PAC, anyway?

Super PACs are a new kind of political action committee enabled by the infamous January 2010 Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court and a subsequent federal court case in July 2010.

Formally known as “independent expenditure-only committees,” Super PACs can raise unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions, certain nonprofits, or individuals, and can then spend unlimited sums to support or oppose political candidates so long as they don’t ‘coordinate’ with the candidate’s campaign. Unlike traditional Political Action Committees, which would donate capped amounts of money to candidates, Super PAC money is simply not funneled to a candidate, enabling the Super PACs to spend unlimited dollars to buy influence over our election.

Record spending enabled through Super PACs most significantly benefits those with the most to spend and the most to gain: the corporate interests willing to spend tens of millions to get candidates in office that allow their greed to go unregulated. According to Campaign Legal Center, only a small top percentage of donors to Super PACs contribute a majority of their total funds. This corporate political speech is overpowering the voices of everybody else in this democracy.

Super PACs are Drowning Out Democracy, so What Can We Do About It?

Thousands of people are organizing to challenge the crisis in which Super PACs have placed our democracy. The solutions proposed range from campaign finance reform bills in Congress to constitutional amendments to local ordinances that prioritize community rights and decision-making. While all exciting, these victories could take years. Defending democracy means sticking with it for the long haul.

In the meantime, let’s get a big, collective “HELL NO!!!” on the record. After all, we are in the final days of the election season, and these are the moments where Super PACs are spending the most (literally tens of thousands of dollars per second) to influence your vote. So, since Super PACs are making democracy hard for us, let’s take a moment and making life hard for them, even if just for one day:

STICK IT TO SUPER PACS!

On October 25th, over a dozen organizations are partnering with Global Exchange to launch www.StickItToSuperPACs.org, a day-long action where you can tell the top-spending Super PACs exactly what you think about them. Visit the site today to Get Stickin’ and join the flood of emails, phone calls, Facebook posts, and Tweets to Super PACs that gives you, the voter, a chance to tell corporate dollars to get out of the way of democracy. Imagine your computer mouse transformed into a proverbial wrench, and then toss it into the gears of Super PACs that are drowning out everything except big-money corporate speech.

It’s not going to solve all our problems, but believe me, when I hit “send” on my letter to the top 5 Super PAC inboxes, I was happy I got to #StickItToSuperPACs today.  Sometimes it’s the little ways we take action to demand elections, not auctions, that will create momentum to usher in long term change down the line, so join me and get stickin’!

TAKE ACTION:

• Stick It To Super PACs: Visit our web page to call, email, post, and/or tweet your dissent straight to the Top 5 Super PACs.

Elect Democracy, a Global Exchange campaign, is a nonpartisan effort to expose and challenge the impact of corporate money in politics. The campaign focuses on the impact of political campaign contributions and lobbying from Wall Street and its impacts for civil society.

Follow @GlobalExchange @ElectDemocracy and @HillaryLehr for updates.

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While many may refer to November 6th as a finish line, let’s switch the metaphor: November 6th is the starting point.

In the long distance haul to Elect Democracy for a change, let’s not waste a moment on the bleachers after the election.

Get a head start on post-election democracy by hosting a documentary film screening November 12-18. Join people around the country to screen a new documentary film called Heist: Who Stole the American Dream, and How We Can Get it Back.

 A lot is at stake in this election. Yet no matter who claims the White House and Congressional seats, if we’re going to challenge Wall Street Sugar Daddies calling the shots in DC, we have our work cut out for us.

Host a film screening of the critically-acclaimed documentary Heist to do three crucial things:

1. Gather with your community after this expensive, post-truth election and channel your frustration and desire for change.
2. Learn and locate the extreme political power that the corporate 1% has amassed over decades. (Remember, this election certainly isn’t the be-all end-all of challenging our big corporate problem.)
3. Set the stage to talk about defining, reclaiming, and protecting real democracy. Move past post-election blues and stay active working with us to take action locally to hold Congress accountable to people.

Can you help build power and hope beyond the election? We need you. Sign up today to host a screening of Heist: Who Stole the American Dream and How We Can Get it Back. Here at Global Exchange, we’ll help you plan everything, every step of the way.

Here’s what some film critics had to say about Heist:

“… HEIST is well timed as a one-stop summary of reasons for ordinary Americans to be furious at our financial systems. Its last third turns from compiling past outrages to encouraging activism, making this snappy, solid docu an ideal candidate for savvy distribs to jump on immediately. With grassroots marketing, pic could ride the wave of burgeoning Occupy Wall Street-related protests as a ready-made primer.”
—Dennis Harvey, Variety

“Perhaps the best film yet about the roots of today’s economic conditions in the U.S., domination of public policy by corporate interests, and grassroots resistance that has emerged in the past few years.”
—TheWorkSite.org

TAKE ACTION:
Watch the Heist film trailer and sign up to host a screening by October 22!

Politicash 2012 makes it easy to see exactly who’s funding our presidential candidates, drawing back the curtain on even the most mysterious super PAC (political action committee) donors.

Global Exchange is proud to partner with MapLight on the release of this new PolitiCash 2012 app, an invaluable tool for tracking money in politics. So download your free app today and follow the campaign and Super-PAC money behind the presidential race.

Get real-time updates on campaign cash   ( both traditional campaign contributions and Super-PAC spending)…

…and the surprising totals.

TAKE ACTION:

• Download Politicash 2012 today and demand accountability! It works with the iPhone, iPad, or Android.
• Use the app to share data with friends (via Facebook & more), plus the app makes it easy to autotweet lawmakers to let them know you’re keeping an eye on who’s bankrolling their election campaigns.

Global Exchange intern Lily showcasing the GEMS membership card next to Fundraising thermometer

Mid-summer has arrived and the thermometer is inching up.  No, not the temperature here in San Francisco, but our fundraising thermometer is inching up towards our goal to raise 100 new GEMS (Global Exchange Monthly Sustainer.)

We need YOU to help us bring it up to 100 by the end of the summer!

GEMS: Helpful for social justice, easier for you!

When you become a Global Exchange Monthly Sustainer  you help Global Exchange create the foundation to move quickly and effectively with a known set of resources.

When we know what will be coming in, we can spend time planning effective and useful campaigns rather than trying to figure out how to raise money for a great idea.

And it is easier for you— no searching for the checkbook, stamp and envelope or credit card.  No wondering about how much you can afford this month. It is simple and easy to make a monthly commitment (as much as you can afford).  Just sign up on this secure page.

What’s in it for you?

By simply becoming a GEMS, your one-time action enables you to contribute throughout the year to important social justice work. Here’s some of what you will be supporting:

• In the heat of this summer your support will make you part of bringing two bus loads of victims of the failed Drug War in Mexico, called the Caravan for Peace with Justice  and Dignity, to share their stories all along the US- Mexico border ending in DC with a Global Day of Action Against the violence.
• • You’ll be part of building a movement to recognize the Rights of Nature as the only way we can prevent climate chaos and protect our beautiful planet Earth. 

  (Sidenote: If the Rights of Nature is important to you, consider joining Global Exchange with Vandana Shiva on the upcoming Reality Tour to India called Rights of Seeds, Rights of Nature.

• You’ll be on the front lines in Charlotte and Tampa demanding that the FIRE  (Finance Insurance and Real Estate sectors ) stop spending $1331 per minute trying to influence the outcome of our democracy. 

New “Meet the F.I.R.E. Sector” report for new GEMS now through end of August

*Limited Time Offer: Become a GEMS by the end of August and we’ll send you the latest full color report: “Meet the Fire Sector: How Wall Street is Burning our Democracy.”

This brand new nonpartisan report contains not only extensive research tracking Wall Street’s investment in political power, but also analyzes exactly how Wall Street has secured ‘industry-loyal voting practices’ of Congress using whopping amounts of money. And right now we’re giving away color copies to all new GEMS!

Building people-to people ties to resist injustice, take action and envision alternatives is what we do best. With a strong monthly foundation from a robust GEMS program we can do just that. Will you join us?

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JOIN US TODAY. BECOME A GEMS!

This woman did.

So did this guy.

Yep, her too. They’re all Global Exchange Monthly Sustainers!

According to Wall Street, it’s worth approximately $4.2 billion. That’s how much the Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (FIRE) sector has invested in political influence via campaign contributions and lobbying over the past six years.

That’s $1,331 dollars spent every minute since 2006 to buy political influence.

Today, Global Exchange is releasing a ground-breaking new report: “Meet the F.I.R.E. sector: How Wall Street is Burning Democracy.”

This nonpartisan report contains not only extensive research tracking Wall Street’s investment in political power, but also analyzes exactly how Wall Street has secured ‘industry-loyal voting practices’ of Congress using whopping amounts of money.

Using our new legislative scorecard from the report, you can trace how legislators from your district voted on key issues such as the bank bailout, Wall Street reform, free trade agreements and more. Not only that, but you can also see for yourself how much money they received in campaign contributions from the F.I.R.E. sector, and their ‘industry loyalty voting rate.’

There are many complex factors that impact how legislators vote, but corporate sponsorships shouldn’t be one of them.

Legislative Scorecard Graphic Credit: Global Exchange www.globalexchange.org

It is up to us to reclaim and protect democracy.

Knowing is half the battle. So please, help us spread the word. Use the Facebook and Twitter buttons to forward this legislative scorecard to family and friends. Ask them to take a look and let the numbers speak for themselves.

Remember, we’re not telling you who to vote for. We’re asking you to follow the money. Our goals are not to influence the outcome of one election, but to spark dialogue about accountability & transparency, and stop Wall Street from burning our priceless democracy.

TAKE ACTION:

• Check out our “Meet the F.I.R.E. sector: How Wall Street is Burning Democracy” report and scorecard
• Would you like a free color copy of the report? Become a Global Exchange Monthly Sustainer (GEMS) and we’ll mail you a copy;
  
• Leave a comment below:How might you or your community use these tools?

In 1776, the United States’ Declaration of Independence from an unjust, exploitative colonial power was celebrated as a bold, powerful, patriotic act. In 2012, there is again a need to declare independence  - from insidious corporate power, economic exploitation, assaults on civil liberties, an environmental liquidation, and plenty of other problems that you already know about… so let’s use this unique day to connect the historical dots and #DeclareIndpendence. Let’s demonstrate positive, bold, forward-facing change on this significant US holiday.

Independence from corporate exploitation something we all deserve. This day of action is open to all who seek to create a just, sustainable future. It is a call for expression, discussion, and learning about what people, groups, and organizations seek to  #DeclareIndependence from. It is an opportunity to share your important work and gather new supporters. As a participant you will help co-create collectively whatever #DeclareIndependence becomes. Invite your vast networks to join you.

Here’s how:

For Individuals:
-Join this Facebook event and invite your friends.
-Follow on Twitter: @ElectDemocracy
-Take a picture with your #DeclareIndependence message and share it with us!
-Invite your friends and groups you know to participate
-Get ready to tweet and post your heart July 3-4 as we #DeclareIndependence!

For Groups and Organizations:
-Let us know you are participating and what you want to #DeclareIndependence from. Fill out this short form to stay in the loop.
-Invite your supporters & friends to join the event in emails, facebook and twitter.  You can hold a contest for supporters to vote on what your org will #DeclareIndependence from, send out little ‘teasers’ and use ‘get ready to #DeclareIndependence on July 4th messaging to get your supporters excited to be a part of this.
-Join & promote the Facebook event
-On Twitter, follow: @ElectDemocracy
-Tell other organizations you work with about this opportunity to get the word out about your efforts and find new supporters.
-On July 4th, post a blog organziation’s unique call to #DeclareIndependence  and link to your blog when you Tweet with the magic hashtag
-Take a picture with your supporters who #DeclareIndependence and share with the world
-Get ready to tweet and post your heart out from July 3-4

Leave a comment: What will YOU #DeclareIndependence this July 4th?

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“Who’s Organizing This?”

While #DeclareIndependence, doesn’t ‘belong’ to anyone, you can learn more about the folks who kicked off this day of action by checking out Global Exchange’s Elect Democracy campaign. We’ll be releasing a report about the connections of finance sector campaign contributions and industry-favorable voting records in the Congressional Banking and Finance committees on July 4th, so stay in touch with us to share this ground-breaking research.
At Global Exchange we seek to build an ever-expanding base of learning, understanding, shared connection and global solidarity in the work we do. While the Elect Democracy campaign is focused on exposing the connections of big bank campaign contributions and Congressional corporate loyalty, we understand that money in politics as well as the dangers of too much corporate power are enormous issues that no one organization or group can take on alone. Thus, we initiate collaborative moments such as this one to highlight moments in history, such as Independence Day, as locations for illuminating connected struggles for justice, peace, and real democracy. We hope you will join us.

…of politics.

In this short video, Ben & Jerry’s workers from factory to storefront tell the story of how special interest groups have spent over 11 billion* to influence U.S. elections since 2000, and how that kind of big money is drowning out democracy.

Watch the Scoop: Get The Dough Out of Politics

Ben & Jerry’s Get the Dough Out campaign is part of the Business for Democracy coalition which supports Free Speech for People‘s call for a constitutional amendment to repeal the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.

This is important, though repealing Citizens United is just the first step on a long road to getting money out of our democracy. Learn more about Global Exchange’s Community Rights Program and let’s start walking in the right direction!

It is sweetly refreshing to see companies acting on the values of their workers and utilizing profits to support positive change. We need more modeling of corporate responsibility. Ben & Jerry’s have been great supporters of Global Exchange’s work (in 2011, Ben & Jerry MC’ed our Human Rights Awards!)  and we support their example that businesses can not only survive, but thrive without steamrolling democracy in the name of profits.

TAKE ACTION!
Sign Up to join Global Exchange’s Elect Democracy campaign as we Get the Dough Out of our elections this year.

*Data Source: Center for Responsive Politics

Tell Me What Democracy Looks Like

In the past six months, the ideas of Occupy and the 99% have revolutionized the social dialogue of the U.S. in a way that has enthralled, enraged, and emboldened. Massive marches, rallies, and protests have acted as giant mirrors in which we catch a glimpse at just how many of us are completely fed up with the corrupt exploitative politics of ‘business as usual.’

Occupy and the 99% has offered a refreshed language and analysis for how we understand power politics. We have focused on creating shared space both on and offline in which we can trace and resist a vast constellation of impacts suffered by the 99% due to corporate greed. While this movement continues to evolve strategy, tactics, consensus practices, and creative outreach, its’ impact is already clear.

Though it many not be possible to all agree on everything all the time, most of us agree that the interests of the 99% are not being effectively represented in Congress, the White House, or in the Supreme Court. This crippling problem is not divided along party lines, either. It is a deeper fissure between a) the entrenched corporate interests who have manipulated the political system for their profit, and b) the rest of us.

When we follow the money on the Congressional campaign trail, it’s easy to see a glaring example of how corporate money is drowning out the needs and interests of the 99%. The largest campaign contributions to Congressional candidates of both parties consistently come from the finance, insurance, and real estate industry (the F.I.R.E. sector, including big banks). Once in office, these bought-and-sold legislators support and approve corporate-drafted policies that whittle away at our country’s safety nets and vital programs and instead fund bailouts that end up in big boss bonuses. What public services do you think of when you justify paying your taxes each year? Which of those services has been slashed lately?

Photo: memegenerator.net

So, is voting for the lesser of two evils really going to fix this problem? I think not. As stated by Occupy activist Max Berger in today’s Huffington Post, “We won’t just win by getting new players — we need to change the game. The system is fundamentally incapable of healing itself.”

Occupy struck a chord perhaps specifically because it identified a more fundamental problem than what can be voted in or out in 4 years, and we should continue this much-needed critique. Many have made the case for Occupy becoming a “left wing tea party” but Occupy doesn’t need to be a left wing Tea Party in order to impact the election. The sheer magnitude of a cultural mic check from the far-ish left has turned heads of both voters and politicians.

Historically, large social movements inevitably enable reform simply by being what they are: a mass movement responding to the injustices of the status quo. But the 99% can’t and won’t stop there.

We need to immediately Occupy Our Elections in order to approach having the real ability to Elect Democracy. We should engage with and impact elections by providing systemic analysis and exposing the impact of corporate campaign contributions, big budget corporate lobbying, and general ALEC-type corruption and collusion. Meanwhile, we can also simultaneously be creating new methods of meeting the needs of the 99% that can help make this broken system obsolete (so plant a garden, start a community health clinic, or meet your neighbors, to start). But let’s check in with the reality that building a new system is um, going to take a while, so in the meantime, register your discontent and go vote about it.

If there was ever a time to flex our power, it’s now. For all the fire and fury, for all the marches and mic checks, we have not yet “won.” Corporations still write policy, bank executives still get bonuses, and the rest of us are still fighting to keep our homes, pay off debt, find a job, get citizenship, make our own choices, and keep our families safe and healthy. Many of us are struggling to stay afloat.

Some of us in the 99% have taken outrage and protest directly to banks and big business and we’ve have had some wins. Corporate campaigning is indeed effective, and we should keep doing what works. Meanwhile, we also must address our deflated government and stop it from enabling ever-worse forms of corporate exploitation to take hold- not only here in the U.S., but abroad.

While we have every right to be disillusioned and skeptical, we have to take responsibility for the fact that the U.S. is driving war and destruction around the world through military romps, oil addiction, and deranged obsession with free trade at all costs. It’s time to show the 1% what democracy really looks like.

How do we create a system where it actually matters who you vote for? 

There is a reason that around the world, people have fought and even died for the right to vote. If voting didn’t matter, there wouldn’t be ongoing U.S. voter suppression issues that continue to this very day. We should trust our great grandmothers that fought so hard for this right, and honor those around the world who are still fighting.

So, let’s go for it. Occupy Our Elections. Let’s mic check media-laden debates with some real talk when talking heads are speaking for corporate funders and not for the 99%. Let’s tell politicians to spend their time in office making good policies, not fundraising for their campaigns! It’s time to go all out to fumigate corruption, pull away the smoke screens of the F.I.R.E. sector, demand accountability, utilize  transparency, and seed new, practical, short and long-term solutions.

We’ll help. Global Exchange is working on creating a toolkit where anyone anywhere can easily look up the Congressional politicians and candidates in their district and also trace their voting records on key issues. We’re researching to create a report on the Foul Five (five candidates who are the poster children for the corruption of corporate campaign contributions) and also profiling the Fair Five who are working on accountability to their constituents by not accepting finance sector contributions. We’ll be bringing the heat to bank-backed candidates on the campaign trail, and we would love for you to join us.

What else do you think we can do to Elect Democracy this year?