New Deal Party
Money in Politics
Unlimited money in politics has changed our government from a democracy to an oligarchy. Unlimited money from corporations and dark money from special interest groups influence elected officials who are supposed to be representing us.
Let's work on changing the system back. Let's remove the money and restore the power of the people.
Our Solutions
Campaign Finance Reform
- Pass a constitutional amendment limiting corporate and large-donor contributions in elections.
- Mandate full transparency in campaign financing, requiring disclosure of all donations exceeding $5,000.
- Ban insider trading for all members of the three branches of government.
Problems to Solve
Dark Money
Where does dark money come from?
Dark money represents political contributions from organizations and people that do not have to be disclosed to the FEC. Since the Citizens United decision, more and more dark money is being used to fund campaigns using sophisticated methods that make it difficult to discover who is actually making these donations.
OpenSecrets estimates that over a billion dollars was donated to political campaigns in the 2020 election cycle that could not be traced. [1]
The Rise of "Soft Money"
Citizens United vs. the FEC
Through this Supreme Court decision, it was ruled that the government could not restrict independent expenditures for political campaigns by corporations, nonprofit organizations, labor unions, and other associations as it would undermine freedom of speech outlined in the first amendment.
One of the consequences of this decision has been the creation of super-PACs.
These super-PACs are responsible for the deluge of advertisements, mostly negative ones, that are continuing to create animosity between Americans.
It is an example of freedom of action, but given human nature and the win-at-all-cost mentality, the tactics lead to a very negative and many times hateful environment.
About Fundraising
According to OpenSecrets, the cost of running for President in 2020 was $5.7 billion dollars. [1]
