1992 Ad

The Common Cause Anti-Corruption Campaign proved to be a powerful presence in this year's congressional campaigns.

Thousands of CC members, together with state and national volunteers and staff, combined forces to mount a grassroots lobbying campaign.

The results: Of 908 major party candidates, nearly 60 percent responded to the Anti-Corruption Campaign with a public commitment to support the essential elements of campaign finance reform.

When the 103rd Congress convenes in January, a clear majority in both chambers - a total of 267 representatives and 56 senators - will be publicly on record in support of campaign finance legislation that includes the essential elements of reform. (The 56 senators do not include those from three states, Georgia, North Dakota and Tennessee, where senators were still to be determined at press time.)

A substantial majority of new members - seven of 11 new senators and 68 of 110 new representatives - are publicly committed to reform.

The success of the grassroots lobbying campaign does not guarantee smooth sailing for campaign reform legislation. Although President-elect Bill Clinton made a public commitment during his campaign to support comprehensive reform, opponents of reform inside and outside Congress will try to stall and weaken reform bills.

Despite such obstacles, the success of the Anti-Corruption Campaign has given a boost to prospects for enacting real reform early in the next Congress.

The Anti-Corruption Campaign was mobilized after President George Bush vetoed the campaign finance reform bill passed by Congress earlier this year (S.3). In this nationwide effort, CC asked congressional candidates to make a public commitment to bring about basic change of the political system by supporting real campaign finance reform. The Anti-Corruption Campaign statement spelled out the essential elements of reform: a ban on huge soft money contributions; campaign spending limits and clean public resources; and new restrictions on PAC contributions.

Common Cause mailed Anti-Corruption Campaign materials to every congressional candidate registered with secretary of state offices in all 50 states. Volunteers in the national office's "Washington Connection" coordinated grassroots activities candidate by candidate.

Executive directors of CC state offices lobbied candidates who had been state legislators, and joined with state chairs and state board members to advance the campaign.

Volunteers alerted activist networks and urged CC members to ask congressional candidates in their districts to sign the pledge and take a public stand in favor of reform.

CC members made thousands of telephone calls to candidates' campaign offices, wrote letters to the editors of local newspapers, gave out flyers at coffee shops and county fairs explaining the devastating costs of the current corrupt system, and turned out at town meetings and candidate debates to ask candidates to publicly address the need for campaign finance reform.

Political organizers from the national office held meetings with CC members in key districts, helping to mobilize local efforts.

In a major breakthrough, 171 of the 416 Republican House candidates - or more than 40 percent - made public commitments during their campaigns to support comprehensive reform. When the House voted on S.3 earlier this year, 19 House Republicans voted for the campaign reform bill. Now 43 Republicans in the next House are on record for comprehensive campaign reform, more than double the number that voted for S.3.

"The tremendous response to the Anti-Corruption Campaign is a direct result of the tenacious work of Common Cause members, volunteers and staff across the country," said CC President Fred Wertheimer. "The entire Common Cause community should take pride in the campaign's accomplishments."

At Anti-Corruption Campaign headquarters, stories about effective lobbying by CC members poured in as quickly as the candidates' signed statements.

Strong citizen pressure often made the difference. Some candidates who had previously told CC they would not sign - and some incumbents who voted against the campaign finance reform bill that passed earlier this year - supported the Anti-Corruption Campaign after concerted lobbying efforts by CC members in their districts.

The Anti-Corruption Campaign also generated significant interest in the media. Letters to the editor, stories about the Anti-Corruption Campaign and editorials urging candidates to sign appeared in newspapers across the country.

One Pennsylvania newspaper, the Bucks County Courier-Times, wrote: "The real goal, as Common Cause notes, is to take elections off the auction block. When a politician - usually an incumbent - raises and spends 10 times the money of his or her opponent, the outcome almost is a foregone conclusion. It's time campaigns are decided on the merits of the candidates, not their fundraising abilities.

"Most politicians should have the message by now that reform is coming - in some form. . . . The Common Cause pledge is a good place to start if congressmen are serious about 'change.'"

Several television programs focused attention on campaign finance issues as well. One week before the election, PBS stations broadcast "The Best Campaign Money Can Buy," an investigation of big donors to both political parties' presidential campaigns.

"The success of the Anti-Corruption Campaign gives us powerful momentum toward passing a strong campaign finance reform bill early next year," said Wertheimer.

Independent Counsel

A threatened filibuster in the Senate prevented Congress from reauthorizing the Independent Counsel Act, which will expire on December 14, 1992. Common Cause had urged Congress to permanently reauthorize the law.

In a letter delivered to representatives during the summer, Common Cause wrote, "It is essential for Congress, and for the president, to demonstrate their commitment to the notion that even the most powerful officials in our government are subject to the rule of law by permanently reauthorizing the Independent Counsel statute."

Common Cause will work for early action in the next Congress to reauthorize this critical government accountability reform of the post-Watergate era.

National Governing

Board Meets

The Common Cause National Governing Board met in Washington on October 17 and 18.

The board approved the fiscal year 1993 budget for CC. Board members also met in small groups and general session to discuss three crucial issue areas that will be part of CC's reform agenda for 1993: Washington lobbying; congressional ethics; and oversight and enforcement of campaign finance reform and other laws.

The board also heard from its federal budget working group, which is examining a potential role for CC in efforts to improve the federal budget process and reduce the federal deficit.

Consideration of CC's agenda for the new Congress will continue at the February board meeting.

Common Cause

Public Service

Achievement Awards

Common Cause is now accepting nominations for the 1993 Public Service Achievement

Awards honoring outstanding citizens. Nominees can include citizen activists, civil servants and others who have made important public service contributions.

The National Governing Board created the awards in 1980 to honor those individuals "who by force of imagination, initiative and perseverance have made an outstanding contribution to the public interest in the areas of government performance and integrity."

Nomination forms and additional information can be obtained by writing to the PSAA Staff Committee, Common Cause, 2030 M St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. The deadline for applications is December 31, 1992.

COPYRIGHT 1992 Common Cause Magazine
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