Recall-- Chris Gibson is no stranger to SuperPACs-- recall how just two years ago he was amply assisted with ads from Karl Rove's SuperPAC-- American Crossroads:
"NY-20: Karl Rove's Crossroads Project Targets Murphy" by Brian Mann [10/26/10]
http://blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org/inbox/2010/10/26/ny-20-karl-roves-crossroads-project-targets-murphy/
"Karl Rove PAC Airing Ad in the 20th CD" by Leigh Hornbeck [10/15/10]
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/33083/karl-rove-pac-airing-ad-in-the-20th-cd/
[go this article to see update on how Rove's American Crossroads SuperPAC is doing:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/lauriebennett/2012/02/02/billionaires-flock-to-karl-rove-super-pac/]
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[see http://www.JoelforCongress.org ; join 229 already signed to http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Joel ; Town of Union Vale and Town of Clinton Democratic Committees have now endorsed my campaign for Congress-- along with Dutchess and Columbia County Democratic Elections Commissioners Fran Knapp and Virginia Martin, Pete Seeger, Cornel West, Josh Fox, and Troy Area Labor Council President Mike Keenan-- let us know if we can come make presentation at your town's Dem committee!]
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[press conference today is my formally/personally following up w/hard copy of this letter I just emailed]
From: Joel Tyner
To: press@chrisgibsonforcongress.com, Gibson@mail.house.gov, Chris.Gibson@mail.house.gov, Rep. Chris.Gibson@mail.house.gov
Subject: Rep. Gibson (Chris)-- need People's Pledge to limit SuperPACs in NY-20 as in Mass.!...
The Honorable Chris Gibson
United States House of Representatives
502 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-3220
Rep. Gibson (Chris):
No doubt you are familiar with the bipartisan agreement to limit the influence of SuperPAC spending that Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown recently signed this January; recall these five articles on this:
1. AP: "Elizabeth Warren, Scott Brown Sign Pledge: Curb Attacks From Outside Groups" Steve LeBlanc
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/23/elizabeth-warren-scott-brown-attack-ads_n_1223574.html
2. "Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown Agree to Third-Party Ad Ban" by Tim Murphy [Jan. 23rd]
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2012/01/elizabeth-warren-and-scott-brown-pledge-ban-super-pac-funding
3. "Scott Brown, Elizabeth Warren Sign Pledge-- Ban Third-Party Involvement in Race"-- Glen Johnson
http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2012/01/scott-brown-elizabeth-warren-battle-for-campaign-public-relations-high-ground/uzas6dzj6PiBxNJDGyKQaP/index.html [Boston Globe Jan. 23rd]
4. "Elizabeth Warren & Scott Brown Reach Agreement on Limiting Outside Ads"-- Chris Bowers [1/23]
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/01/23/1057596/-Elizabeth-Warren-and-Scott-Brown-reach-agreement-on-limiting-outside-ads
5. "Elizabeth Warren, Scott Brown Settle on Super PAC Pledge" by Manu Raju [Jan. 23rd]
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71813.html
Hopefully you would agree that the corrosive and destructive influence of obscenely large, unaccountable SuperPACs should not only be limited in Massachusetts-- but also here and across U.S.:
I ask you to join me in agreeing to the People's Pledge below to limit SuperPAC influence in NY-20!
Please let me know your thoughts on this-- folks here in the 20th c.d. deserve a People's Pledge now.
[beyond this-- other needed solutions: http://www.MovetoAmend.org ; http://www.FairElectionsNow.org ]
Finally, check out "Eleven Shocking Facts About Campaign Finance" by George Zornick (Jan. 20th):
http://www.thenation.com/blog/165778/eleven-shocking-facts-about-campaign-finance : a wake-up call.
Let's work together to clean up elections and send a strong message to D.C.: business as usual is over!
Joel Tyner
Dutchess County Legislator (Clinton/Rhinebeck)
Democratic Candidate for Congress, 20th c.d.
324 Browns Pond Road
Staatsburg, NY 12580
845-444-0599
[also see: http://images.dailykos.com/i/user/123/Letter_to_station_managers.pdf ;
http://images.dailykos.com/i/user/123/Letter_to_third_parties.pdf ]
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A People's Pledge for New York's 20th Congressional District
[text here nearly identical to Warren/Brown http://images.dailykos.com/i/user/123/Peoples__Pledge.pdf ]
Because inevitably outside third-party organizations-- including but not limited to individuals, corporations, 527 organizations, 501(c) organizations, SuperPACs, and national and state party committees-- will air independent expenditure advertisements and issue advertisements either supporting Representative Chris Gibson or the Democratic candidate for Congress in New York's 20th Congressional District (individually "the Candidate" and collectively the "Candidates");
Because these groups function as independent expenditure organizations that are outside the direct control of either of the Candidates; and
Because the Candidates agree that they do not approve of such independent expenditure advertisements, and do not want those advertisements for the duration of the 2012 election cycle; and
Because the Candidates recognize that in order to make New York's 20th Congressional District a national example, and provide local citizens with an election free of third-party independent expenditure advertisements, they must be willing to include an enforcement mechanism that runs not to the third-party organizations but instead to the Candidates' own campaigns:
The Candidates on behalf of their respective campaigns hereby agree to the following:
-- In the event that a third-party organization airs any independent expenditure broadcast (including radio), cable, satellite, or online advertising in support of a named, referenced (including by title) or otherwise identified Candidate, that Candidate's campaign shall, within three (3) days of discovery of the advertisement buy's total cost, duration, and source, pay 50% of the cost of that advertising buy to a charity of the opposing Candidate's choice.
-- In the event that a third-party organization airs any independent expenditure broadcast (including radio), cable, or satellite advertising, or online advertising in opposition to a named, referenced (including by title) or otherwise identified Candidate, the opposing Candidate's campaign shall, within three (3) days of discovery of the advertisement buy's total cost, duration, and source, pay 50% of the cost of that advertising buy to a charity of the opposed Candidate's choice.
-- In the event that a third-party organization airs any broadcast (including radio), cable, or satellite advertising that promotes or supports a named, referenced (including by title) or otherwise identified Candidate, that Candidate's campaign shall, within three (3) days of discovery of the advertisement buy's total cost, duration, and source, pay 50% of the cost of that advertising buy to a charity of the opposing Candidate's choice.
-- In the event that a third-party organization airs any broadcast (including radio), cable, or satellite advertising that attacks or opposes a named, referenced (including by title) or otherwise identified Candidate, the opposing Candidate's campaign shall, within three (3) days of discovery of the advertisement buy's total cost, duration and source, pay 50% of the cost of the ad buy to a charity of the opposing Candidate's choice.
-- The Candidates and their campaigns agree that neither they nor anyone acting on their behalf shall coordinate with any third party on any paid advertising for the duration of the 2012 election cycle. In the event that either Candidate or their campaign or anyone acting on their behalf coordinates any paid advertisement with a third-party organization, that Candidate's campaign shall pay 50% of the cost of the ad buy to a charity of the opposing Candidate's choice.
-- The Candidates and their campaigns agree to continue to work together to limit the influence of third-party advertisements and to close any loopholes (including coverage of sham ads) that arise in this agreement during the course of this campaign.
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From http://www.thenation.com/blog/165778/eleven-shocking-facts-about-campaign-finance ...
Eleven Shocking Facts About Campaign Finance
George Zornick on January 20, 2012 - 1:57 PM ET
It's been two years since the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, allowing a torrent of secret money to flow into the political process.
To be clear, the corrupting influence of big money was distorting the democratic process for years before that decision. But it unquestionably made the problem worse, exacerbating both the volume and secrecy of campaign donations.
Here's eleven disturbing facts about the extent to which money is playing an increasing role in our politics:
* The amount of independent expenditure and electioneering communication spending by outside groups has quadrupled since 2006. [Center for Responsive Politics]
* The percentage of spending coming from groups that do not disclose their donors has risen from 1 percent to 47 percent since the 2006 mid-term elections. [Center for Responsive Politics]
* Campaign receipts for members of the House of Representatives totaled $1.9 billion in 2010-up from $781 million in 1998. [Committee for Economic Development]
* Outside groups spent more on political advertising in 2010 than party committees-for the first time in at least two decades. [Center for Responsive Politics]
* A shocking 72 percent of political advertising by outside groups in 2010 came from sources that were prohibited from spending money in 2006. [Committee for Economic Development]
* In 2004, 97.9 percent of outside groups disclosed their donors. In 2010, 34.0 percent did. [Committee for Economic Development]
* In 2010, the US Chamber of Commerce spent $31,207,114 in electioneering communications. The contributions for which it disclosed the donors: $0. [Committee for Economic Development]
* Only 26,783 Americans donated more than $10,000 to federal campaigns in 2010-or, about one in 10,000 Americans. Their donations accounted for 24.3 percent of total campaign donations. [Sunlight Foundation]
* Average donation from that elite group was $28,913. (The median individual income in America is $26,364) [Sunlight Foundation]
* Amount the Karl Rove-led Crossroads GPS says it will spend on the 2012 elections: $240 million. [On the Media]
* Amount that President Obama has raised from the financial sector already for his 2012 re-election: $15.6 million [Washington Post]
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