Whos Buying Congress Now? You Get One Guess

by Nancy Watzman of Public Campaign, excerpted

... What often gets lost in election coverage, however, is where all the money funding these races is coming from, what the special interests that give it will want in return after Election Day and how that hurts ordinary families.

Consider the US Chamber of Commerce, which describes itself as a federation representing more than 3 million businesses. "Theres a phrase we like to use that sums up our philosophy: Politics comes before policy, meaning its a lot easier to achieve your agenda in Congress when you elect the right people in the first place," wrote William C. Miller, Jr., a vice president for the trade group.

What does the Chamber want? For one thing, no hikes in the minimum wage, thank you. While some 23 states have already passed a hike above the federal rate of $5.15 an hour, the issue goes nowhere on Capitol Hill. National polling shows strong bipartisan support for a hike, but lobbies for the Chamber and other business clout have blocked it so far. This is bad news for the 14.9 million workers who labor for that amount at the Walmarts, McDonalds and other businesses near you. Fifty-nine percent are women, and one out of four are parents. If they work 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, that means they make less than $11,000, not exactly the kind of money you need to support a family.

Turn now to the oil and gas industry, to see another moneyed interest that has been quite successful in recent years in weakening environmental initiatives and gaining subsidies. (Those getting big contributions from the industry voted) last year in favor of the energy bill that included $3.8 billion in tax breaks and subsidies for the industry at the same time as it was racking up record profits and charging more at the gas pump.

When Congress is back in session, the likelihood that measures which make life easier for American families will get priority is low. Proposals that are good for American families like increasing the federal minimum wage, passing paid medical leave, beefing up environmental regulations will get passed over in favor of those that give back to big industry contributors.

Changing this dynamic requires revamping the way we run our elections, so that candidates could run without being dependent on special interest cash. Full public financing of elections, or Clean Elections, would help a lot. In Maine, where a Clean Elections system provides candidates the option to qualify for full public financing, 80 percent of the candidates for the legislature ran without looking over their shoulders at the pharmaceutical and big business interests.

Clean Elections have been approved in seven states and two municipalities. Its high time that such a system were adopted for candidates running for federal office. Ditto that for West Virginia. After all, families needs ought to matter at least as much as those of the pharmaceutical, oil, coal and other special interests.