An open letter to President Bush

January 24, 1992 The Honorable George Bush The White House Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Bush:

We are writing to strongly urge you to make a public commitment that you will not repeat your 1988 use of $100,000 "soft money" contributions in pursuing your 1992 candidacy for the presidency, and will sign into law legislation to end these abuses.

These huge contributions, which were pervasive in the 1988 Republican and Democratic campaigns, are given by the wealthiest individuals in our society and are laundered through state political parties in order to evade the post-Watergate federal laws that prohibit them.

Although these contributions are known as "soft money," what they really represent is dirty money, and they result in tainted government and unfair treatment of American citizens.

Shortly after taking office, you said that in your administration the "guiding principle will be simply to know right from wrong; to act in accordance with what is right and to avoid even the appearance of what is wrong."

The dirty money system is wrong.

Your "guiding principle" cannot be honored as long as you continue to engage in this practice.

The system is providing the wealthiest people in America with special access to and influence with the White House. In 1988, for example, your "Team 100" effort, headed by your chief fundraiser, Robert Mosbacher, solicited and received contributions of $100,000 or more from 249 individuals. Many of these corporate CEOs, Wall Street investment bankers, savings and loan executives, real estate developers and others have had important matters facing the government.

Very few Americans can afford to make contributions of $500 or $1,000 (the limit under federal law), much less contributions of $100,000 or more. Those kinds of gifts can only be given by the Donald Trumps, the Frank Lorenzos, the T. Boone Pickenses, the Henry Kravises and the Charles Keatings of our country -- all members of your "Team 100."

At a time when tens of millions of Americans are being hit hard by economy and are questioning their government's commitment to the needs of average citizens, your participation in a system that allows the wealthiest people in the country to buy special influence in the White House sends the worst kind of message to the American people.

Furthermore, it is unfair to taxpayers for you to participate in the presidential campaign financing system -- and then to renege on the legal commitment you made to restrict private contributions and limit your campaign spending as a requirement for receiving the public funds.

This is a misuse of taxpayer dollars -- and it's cheating the system.

We strongly urge you to make a public commitment now to reject dirty money in your 1992 presidential campaign and to sign into law strong and effective reform legislation that ends these Watergate-style abuses and cleans up the current corrupt congressional campaign financing system.

COPYRIGHT 1992 Common Cause Magazine
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