{"articles":[{"id":113,"title":"Don't Open the Door Further to Dark Money","html_content":"

On April 26, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could unmoor decades of transparency laws, even as dark money spending by special interests continues to rise.

The court’s new majority is being asked by billionaire Charles Koch’s nonprofits to expand on the notion that “money is speech” by ruling that the First Amendment bars disclosure laws that may chill large donors from giving more money to nonprofits.

On the surface, the case, known as Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, is about whether a state can require a nonprofit group to reveal a list of its donors who give $5,000 or more. That data is not public, but a glitch in California’s electronic filing system inadvertently made it searchable to other filers for a short period, which Koch’s Americans for Prosperity Foundation discovered.

The rule requiring secret disclosure has been followed in millions of nonprofit filings since 1970. There is no evidence it was misused or abused by regulators or others, and the California flaw was fixed.

But that was not good enough for Koch’s Americans for Prosperity, which apparently had been refusing to provide that data to California anyway, even though it was required by the Internal Revenue Service on Schedule B of their annual tax filings. The IRS has allowed nonprofits to redact the names but has required public disclosure of the largest amounts.

This rule is the only reason we know, for example, that a group called the Wellspring Committee received almost all of its funding, more than $28 million, from a single donor after Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016. The donor’s identity remains unknown.

Between 2016-17, Wellspring gave a total of $38 million to a group called the Judicial Crisis Network, which spent millions to pressure the Senate to block President Barack Obama’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, and then to push for the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominee to that seat, Neil Gorsuch. After spending additional millions to help get Brett Kavanaugh confirmed, Wellspring closed.

The case before the Supreme Court continues Koch’s assault on even minimal transparency and oversight of nonprofits, which became increasingly involved in elections after the controversial Citizens United ruling in 2010.

Since then, Koch has helped raise and spend more than a billion dollars to influence elections, but the donors are kept hidden. That is why spending through such groups, like Americans for Prosperity, is so robust. Unlike money donated directly to a candidate or political party, which must be disclosed, donations to groups like Americans for Prosperity are secret.

In fact, we do not even know how much Koch himself or Koch Industries has spent, due to Sen. Mitch McConnell’s blocking of disclosure bills.

Americans for Prosperity has taken credit for spending millions to help GOP candidates win elections and to get Trump-appointed judges confirmed. That includes helping Amy Coney Barrett get confirmed right before the 2020 election, which is why Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and others asked that she recuse herself from hearing the case. Barrett refused.

But now, Justices Barrett, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch are poised to aid the agenda of the dark money groups that helped sweep them onto the Supreme Court. They may even strike a fatal blow against disclosure laws, like HR 1, the For the People Act, which would shine a light on billionaires like Koch who have secretly spent untold millions to influence elections.

This is the wrong way to go. Our democracy desperately needs more sunshine, not more darkness.

This column was produced for The Progressive magazine and distributed by Tribune News Service.

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On April 26, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could unmoor decades of transparency laws, even as dark money spending by special interests continues to rise.

In fact, we do not even know how much Koch himself or Koch Industries has spent, due to Sen. Mitch McConnell’s blocking of disclosure bills.

This is the wrong way to go. Our democracy desperately needs more sunshine, not more darkness.

This column was produced for The Progressive magazine and distributed by Tribune News Service.

In June before the 2020 election, Louis DeJoy was hired as U.S. Postmaster General. DeJoy immediately began to cut mail service, banning overtime for postal workers, requiring mail trucks to depart \"on time,\" even when empty or half-full, and removing hundreds of mail sorting machines.

As DeJoy's tenure continued, on-time mail delivery plummeted. Zip codes with populations of over 45% people of color filed 50% more complaints and rural areas were especially hard-hit. We all depend on the USPS's success. We must act now to stop DeJoy's lack of leadership.

The postal workforce is 39% people of color and 40% women, but the current governors are six white men. There are four vacant seats that must be filled by diverse candidates. That's why we demand that our Senators vote YES on Stroman, McReynolds and Hajjar's nominations.

These nominees have the power to check DeJoy. Contact your U.S. Senators today and tell them to vote YES on all three nominations!

","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/W30JaDJO/688605/Copy%20of%20BRT%20Facebook%20Link%20Preview%20%281%29.png","xsmall":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/W30JaDJO/688605/Copy%20of%20BRT%20Facebook%20Link%20Preview%20%281%29.png","small":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/W30JaDJO/688605/Copy%20of%20BRT%20Facebook%20Link%20Preview%20%281%29.png","medium":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/W30JaDJO/688605/Copy%20of%20BRT%20Facebook%20Link%20Preview%20%281%29.png","large":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/W30JaDJO/688605/Copy%20of%20BRT%20Facebook%20Link%20Preview%20%281%29.png"},"links":{"self":"https://www.boldrethink.org/articles/100-tell-u-s-senators-confirm-stroman-mcreynolds-hajjar-usps-board-governors"},"comments_count":0,"comments_enabled":true,"action_count":8,"cta_prompt":"Join us and take action to check DeJoy!","cta_type":"contact_reps","share_count":0,"published_at":"2021-04-20T17:27:02.752Z","show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":{"state":"","region":"country","geolocate":true,"select_path":"Facilitate Advocacy : Contact Federal Reps : Geolocate","lower_chamber":"house","upper_chamber":"senate","chamber_choice":"senate","state_required":false,"default_message":"I am writing as your constituent to urge you to vote YES on Stroman, McReynolds and Hajjar for the USPS Board of Governors.\nLast year, significant mail service cuts were made as we became even more reliant on those services in quarantine. People of color, farmers, veterans, and seniors struggled to get their medications and bill payments on time through the mail. \nI urge you to CONFIRM Stroman, McReynolds and Hajjar to the Board to address these concerns and provide new leadership.\nThank you.","chosen_legislators":[],"lower_chamber_name":"House","upper_chamber_name":"Senate"},"allow_advocacy":true,"profile_id":3,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"translations":{"en":{"status":"published","title":"Tell Your U.S. Senators to Confirm Stroman, McReynolds and Hajjar to the USPS Board of Governors","cta_prompt":"Join us and take action to check DeJoy!","html_content":"

These nominees have the power to check DeJoy. Contact your U.S. Senators today and tell them to vote YES on all three nominations!

","cta_url":null,"custom_cta_text":"Contact Reps"}},"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"status":"published"},{"id":95,"title":"Trump-Appointee Louis DeJoy Continues Destructive Plans For US Mail, as Calls For His Removal and For Major Postal Reforms Rise","html_content":"

On Wednesday, February 24, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a hearing on options for reforming the US Postal Service to help ensure it delivers the services Americans rely on and need. The committee has invited the Postmaster General, Donald Trump’s appointee Louis DeJoy, and others to testify about the failures at the post office.

Many lawmakers and concerned citizens have renewed calls to remove him from his post, which has no term limit. He could stay in that post for decades, like a Supreme Court justice, unless removed. Thirty-four Democratic Senators also wrote a letter to DeJoy this past week about the severe delays in the delivery of mail over the holidays and other disruptive changes he made before the election.

This hearing comes in the wake of news that DeJoy is planning to eliminate first class mail and increase the price of mailing in order to charge people more for slower delivery — a path some have called “sabotage.” The plan would basically put all first-class mail designated for 2-day delivery into the same category as 3- to 5-day mail, and it would ban first-class mail from being shipped by air.

As the Washington Post noted, “The delivery slowdowns coupled with price increases, mailing industry officials say, could threaten that system by driving commercial mailers to cut costs and pull more volume out of the mail stream. In the long run, that could force the Postal Service to increase postage rates on the customers left in the system — including small businesses, seniors and people with disabilities — or to further cut service.”

The need to cut costs can be traced to the requirement that the Post Office pre-fund retiree health care benefits. No other government agency operates under this financial mandate, which was first imposed in 2006. Charles Koch and allies have long wanted to privatize the post office, and with the help of James C. Miller III, a George W. Bush appointee, the pre-funding requirement was pushed through as a step toward that goal. The Postal Service actually had $700 million more in revenue than its operating expenses last year — but the pre-funding liabilities requirement helps push its books into the red.

How Could DeJoy Be Fired?

Decades ago, the position of Postmaster General was reclassified from a cabinet position (selected by the president) to one chosen by a Board of Governors. That means the president cannot fire him.

There is no historical precedent for impeaching an executive branch official who is not Senate-confirmed. There is also almost no possibility that a GOP minority in the Senate that was unwilling to convict Trump for inciting the violent insurrection on January 6 would back efforts to remove DeJoy, a major fundraiser for the RNC, Trump and numerous Republicans. (Notably, before he took over the Postal Service, DeJoy had reportedly pressured employees to give to GOP politicians he preferred and rewarded those gifts with bonuses, a claim he denies despite the evidence.)

In 1970, when Congress created the Board of Governors for our Postal Service, the change was supposed to limit political influence over the provision of these vital public services that should have no place for extreme partisanship. Proponents of those reforms failed to imagine how the term limits for board members could be manipulated by Senate leaders to wield power to manipulate the hiring process and install a hyper-partisan Postmaster General bent on paving the way to privatizing the very institution they were tasked to protect.

That Congress of 50 years ago never envisioned a Senate leader like Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who has sought to install Postal Service leaders keen on privatization. Or a Postmaster General like Louis DeJoy, a partisan fundraiser who ran his family’s logistics/delivery business like a literal sweat shop and whose dictates hobbled the Postal Service on the eve of an election in the middle of a deadly pandemic.

DeJoy’s dictates were temporarily halted by federal judges issuing restraining orders to protect the delivery of ballots in the 2020 election, after Trump made clear he wanted to interfere with absentee voting and lied repeatedly about voter fraud.

Last month, after Biden’s inauguration, the Postal Service announced it would not continue appeals of those orders, but that it would continue to press for changes in how mail is delivered in America.

Congress played a key role in objecting to those changes and raising public awareness of the destructive policies being pursued by DeJoy. At one point last summer, DeJoy boasted about his success in making sure more mail trucks left on time, even though it was clear that measurement meant that more mail was being left behind. Due to DeJoy’s actions, countless seniors who rely on the timely delivery of medicines were left without the prescriptions needed to protect their health. Thousands of baby chicks died because they were not delivered on previously reliable schedules, and more chaos ensued as rapid sorting machines were not just taken offline but dismantled to prevent reuse.

If there were any real accountability by the Board of Governors, DeJoy would have been fired last summer based on the disruption of mail delivery during his first few months on the job. If he were a probationary employee at almost any business in America, he would have been terminated.

But the board had been stacked with Republicans by Trump and Senator McConnell. The then-Senate majority leader used his power to get Trump to put one of McConnell’s top partisan fundraisers, Mike Duncan, on the Board of Governors, which then made him chair of the board.

McConnell gamed the appointment process to get Duncan the longest term of all the open seats on the board, which the Senate majority leader had kept vacant during President Obama’s second term. (McConnell’s hold was said to be in response to Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) placing a hold on Miller, a longtime Koch ally who was on the Board of Governors from 2003-2011 and was one of McConnell’s picks for the Board.)

In 2020, McConnell’s fundraiser Duncan used his post chairing the board to push for the selection of DeJoy to be the Postmaster General, even though DeJoy was not one of the candidates recommended by the executive search firm hired by the Postal Service. Trump’s Treasury Secretary Steve . Mnuchin conditioned $10 billion in credit approved by the CARES Act on requiring the Postal Service to give him proprietary information about “its 10 largest ‘negotiated service agreements,’ or contracts with high-volume third-party shippers such as Amazon, FedEx.”

With all the failures and radical changes under DeJoy, several legislators have recently called on President Biden to fire the Board of Governors and appoint an entirely new board. (The new nominees could not be filibustered because, during the Obama administration, the Senate voted to override the Senate’s rules to prevent filibusters of nominees under Rule XXII, the “cloture” rules to end a debate.)

President Biden could appoint up to five members of the board, a majority sufficient to vote to remove DeJoy or to force DeJoy to resign. That is effectively what happened in 2019 — when it became clear that Trump would be able to appoint a majority of the members of the board. Postmaster General Megan Brennan — a longtime postal employee and the first woman to hold the post, whom Trump had criticized and wanted to fire — soon announced her retirement.

However, Biden has signaled that he is not inclined to fire the board rather than fill the vacancies as they arise, which would leave DeJoy in place for at least another two years based on the board’s term limits.

With the new wave of controversy over DeJoy’s latest destructive plans, will President Biden decide he has to remove Trump’s appointees and start with a clean slate of governors with track records demonstrating that they would work to protect the Postal Service as a public institution? And if so, would a majority of that board vote to remove DeJoy?

One of the two Democrats Trump nominated, Ron Bloom, was recently selected to replace Duncan as chair of the board. (Duncan’s term on the board expires in 2025). But Bloom has not publicly pushed back on DeJoy’s terrible performance before the election or in the midst of his failures that led to substantial delays in deliveries over the holiday season. Trump’s other Democratic appointee, Donald Moak, also stood by DeJoy at the peak of the election crisis provoked by DeJoy’s changes to the Postal Service.

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) has renewed his call on Biden to fire the entire board and start over. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) also urged Biden to replace the entire USPS board. (True North Research called for DeJoy to be fired in its congressional testimony last September.)

This week, 80 House Democrats wrote a letter urging Biden to fill USPS board vacancies to oust DeJoy.

Biden already replaced the chair of the Postal Regulatory Commission on January 25, removing Republican Robert G. Taub and replacing him with Michael M. Kubayanda, a Democrat. That commission is tasked with the power to approve or refuse hikes in stamp prices and other kinds of operations changes.

What Else Can Be Done to Protect and Strengthen Our Postal Service?

All is not lost, despite the uncertainty of the fate of the board and DeJoy. That is because through ordinary legislation, Congress could restructure the board, repeal the injurious rule imposed in the Bush administration regarding prepayment of future health care liabilities of future retirees and make other bold reforms. It could also put a term limit on the job of Postmaster General with the stroke of a pen.

On the campaign trail, Biden promised to support repealing the pre-funding mandate, support pandemic and emergency funding for the USPS, maintain six-day delivery mail and modernize the postal fleet. Since his inauguration, the new president has pushed for the Postal Service and other agencies to convert to EVs, electric vehicles, in order to help mitigate climate change and invest in American EV industries.

Other innovative efforts are also on the table. For example, several members of Congress have urged Biden to use the USPS to distribute the “highest quality medical-grade masks available” to the public. Sens. Sanders and Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) and others are pushing for postal banking. Biden joined Sanders last summer in calling for the Postal Service to offer a range of consumer banking services. This is strongly supported by progressive leaders in Congress. Other innovations have included a bill by Rep. Jackie Spier (D-CA) to remove the prohibition-era restriction on USPS that it cannot deliver alcohol.

Meanwhile, there is also momentum for the USPS Fairness Act, which would repeal the unprecedented requirement imposed since 2006 that it prepay future health care liabilities of retired postal workers. Earlier this year, the press reported that “lawmakers are considering an unusual accounting maneuver to give the Postal Service a nearly $100 billion credit for years of pension overpayments, according to four people familiar with the proposal, who spoke anonymously to discuss legislative plans. The move, which legislators in both the House and Senate have discussed and has not been previously reported, would shift responsibility for those funds onto the federal government.”

Part of that deeply flawed 2006 law pushed by Miller also shifted military pensions of postal workers to the Postal Service’s books instead of being covered by the Treasury, so that too could be reversed by Congress. Until this past year’s Covid relief package, the Postal Service operated without relying on any subsidy by taxpayers, but there is no reason why the US government cannot invest in our Postal Service to help it thrive, in addition to repealing onerous obligations imposed on it by privatization advocates.

What all this means is that reforms to protect the Postal Service and its vital function in American society are coming, with or without the support of Trump ally Louis DeJoy.

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How Could DeJoy Be Fired?

Decades ago, the position of Postmaster General was reclassified from a cabinet position (selected by the president) to one chosen by a Board of Governors. That means the president cannot fire him.

This week, 80 House Democrats wrote a letter urging Biden to fill USPS board vacancies to oust DeJoy.

What Else Can Be Done to Protect and Strengthen Our Postal Service?

What all this means is that reforms to protect the Postal Service and its vital function in American society are coming, with or without the support of Trump ally Louis DeJoy.

","cta_url":null,"custom_cta_text":"Share"}},"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":"On Wednesday, February 24, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a hearing on options for reforming the US Postal Service to help ensure it delivers the services Americans rely on and need.","twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":"On Wednesday, February 24, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a hearing on options for reforming the US Postal Service to help ensure it delivers the services Americans rely on and need.","status":"published"},{"id":64,"title":"Urge Your Members of Congress to Support the Passage of H.R. 1","html_content":"

The American people voted in record numbers for a House, Senate, and President who believe our democracy works best when every vote is counted and every voice is heard. Unfortunately, former-President Trump and some of his allies attempted not just to undermine the results of the election, but to overturn them violently. The January 6th attack on our Capitol illustrates the urgent need for bold reforms to buttress our system so that it truly represents all Americans.

With Democrats now in united control of government, we need your support to urge Congress to pass the \"For the People Act\" (H.R. 1). This important legislation would protect and expand the right to vote for all Americans, limit the dominance of big money in politics, and help restore ethics and accountability in Washington.

Contact your Members of Congress now and demand passage of H.R. 1!

","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/ZBVpyNKr/22759f/BOLD%20Rethink%20%285%29.png","xsmall":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/ZBVpyNKr/22759f/BOLD%20Rethink%20%285%29.png","small":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/ZBVpyNKr/22759f/BOLD%20Rethink%20%285%29.png","medium":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/ZBVpyNKr/22759f/BOLD%20Rethink%20%285%29.png","large":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/ZBVpyNKr/22759f/BOLD%20Rethink%20%285%29.png"},"links":{"self":"https://www.boldrethink.org/articles/64-urge-members-congress-support-passage-h-r-1"},"comments_count":0,"comments_enabled":true,"action_count":4,"cta_prompt":null,"cta_type":"contact_reps","share_count":1,"published_at":"2021-01-20T22:04:39.044Z","show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":{"state":"","region":"country","geolocate":true,"select_path":"Facilitate Advocacy : Contact Federal Reps : Geolocate","lower_chamber":"house","upper_chamber":"senate","chamber_choice":"all","state_required":false,"default_message":"The American people voted in record numbers for a House, Senate, and President who believe our democracy works best when every vote is counted and every voice is heard. Now, with united control of government, you must act to safeguard our democracy for the long term and finally create the fair, just system that Americans deserve. \n\nWe are calling on you to make passing the For the People Act a top priority of the new Congress now that we have a new President sworn in. ","chosen_legislators":[],"lower_chamber_name":"House","upper_chamber_name":"Senate"},"allow_advocacy":true,"profile_id":1,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"translations":{"en":{"status":"published","title":"Urge Your Members of Congress to Support the Passage of H.R. 1","cta_prompt":null,"html_content":"

Contact your Members of Congress now and demand passage of H.R. 1!

","cta_url":null,"custom_cta_text":"Contact Reps"}},"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"status":"published"},{"id":59,"title":"This is An Invitation to Re-think Our Democracy. Are You In? ","html_content":"

At the height of WWII and Hitler’s reign of horror, members of the German Resistance Group, the Kreisau Circle, gathered at Helmuth James von Moltke’s estate to plan for a post-Nazi Germany. Von Moltke was an international lawyer who had been actively undermining Hitler by revealing Nazi atrocities to the allies, helping people escape the country, and arguing that Germany must honor the Geneva Convention for prisoners. The Kreisau Circle sought to design a democratic form of government ready to go the day Hitler was gone.

In the U.S., we are nearing the end of a 4-year anti-democratic regime predicated on lies, cruelty and a cult of personality. However, anti-democratic thinking and a plan to undermine democratic government began decades ago. In 1971, Lewis Powell, a Virginia tobacco lawyer, drafted a memo to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce laying out a strategy to make free enterprise the raison d’être of government.

Bill Moyers called the Powell Memo a “call to arms for corporations” — a chilling statement in light of the mob attack on the U.S. capitol, January 6, 2021. Over the past fifty years, the right-wing has followed Powell’s template for undermining government by and for the people. And here we are. Democracy is in shambles. The right-wing looked away while Trump rampaged through the norms of government because they got to pack the courts and give big tax breaks to billionaires and corporations.

The prevailing ideas about what government is for, born out of Powell’s memo, have failed us. If you subscribe to the notion that government should grow the economy and should be run like a business, then you hire the billionaire businessman for president.

Everywhere we see evidence of the failure of government by and for the economy. The natural world is in crisis, climate change droughts, fires and floods are increasing, inequality is growing, and of course, violence is on the rise. Add to that the increase in suicides, and an out of control pandemic, and we are compelled to rethink how we can live together in a broken world.

We need immediate action to address the imminent threats to democracy. How will we get through the next week, the next month, the next year? When the foundations of democracy are under assault, as they are now, we need emergency measures. This is the equivalent of Von Moltke helping people escape Germany in the middle of war when his real goal was to replace the government that had started the war.

At the same time, we need long-term planning. How and why has democracy become so frayed? What can we do about it? What problems share roots and what solutions will address multiple issues? Can we innovate around governance as much as we innovate technology?

In his “A Concise History of the Third Reich” Wolfgang Benz said, “[t]he goal of the Kreisau Circle was to reestablish a humane state based on the rule of law, which was to be rebuilt with a democratic constitution once the Nazi criminals had been punished.” (Pg. 242)

That was a tall order. Yet they succeeded.

Something similar to the Kreisau Circle is needed here. Now.

Those of us working with the Bold ReThink are aiming to fulfill that need. We have seen the cruel injustice that treats protestors for Black Lives Matter or Water Protectors differently than white supremacists. We have witnessed the gerrymandering of voting districts, packing courts with right-wing ideologues, and treating wealthy people as above the law. We are dedicated to exposing and dismantling the radical right wing’s agenda that has undermined democracy and effective government.

Yet stopping the bad stuff isn’t enough. We need to innovate new policies and institutions and then champion a robust democracy and effective government that ensures the health and well-being of people and our planet.

This is the BOLD ReThink project and it is underway. You can see how BOLD ReThink is exposing that right-wing agenda and some of its proposed innovations. BOLD ReThink is just getting started. Please join. Bring your fierce sense of justice, your imagination, and your willingness to take action.

The tag line of BOLD ReThink's website says “Daring to Rethink our Democracy and How to Make it Work for All of Us.” Are you in?

-- By Carolyn Raffensperger

(updated)

","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mqnDvXE2/cb53c6/BOLD_protesters.png","xsmall":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mqnDvXE2/cb53c6/BOLD_protesters.png","small":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mqnDvXE2/cb53c6/BOLD_protesters.png","medium":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mqnDvXE2/cb53c6/BOLD_protesters.png","large":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mqnDvXE2/cb53c6/BOLD_protesters.png"},"links":{"self":"https://www.boldrethink.org/articles/59-invitation-re-think-democracy"},"comments_count":1,"comments_enabled":true,"action_count":16,"cta_prompt":"By Carolyn Raffensperger","cta_type":"share","share_count":12,"published_at":"2021-01-19T22:09:48.285Z","show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"allow_advocacy":true,"profile_id":1,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"translations":{"en":{"status":"published","title":"This is An Invitation to Re-think Our Democracy. Are You In? ","cta_prompt":"By Carolyn Raffensperger","html_content":"

That was a tall order. Yet they succeeded.

Something similar to the Kreisau Circle is needed here. Now.

The tag line of BOLD ReThink's website says “Daring to Rethink our Democracy and How to Make it Work for All of Us.” Are you in?

-- By Carolyn Raffensperger

(updated)

It is time for a bold rethink…

The murder of George Floyd and the demand of millions to redress structural racism have changed the national conversation. The Covid-19 crisis has also revealed how many American government leaders and agencies have been unable to meet the needs to respond to this crisis.

These crises have transformed what is possible and necessary to fulfill our responsibility to govern ourselves and our communities wisely in order to create a just and healthy world now and for future generations.

For nearly fifty years, right wing CEOs, corporations, and their front groups have engaged in a selfish experiment to redefine government, and that experiment has failed miserably to address the needs of We the People. Lewis Powell, Charles Koch, along with other multi-millionaires and billionaires have spent decades trying to shrink government, distort our democracy, and limit our power over corporations.

Guess what we got in return?

More racial inequality, devastating climate changes that are underway, under-funded and poorly coordinated public health systems, and multiple other systems failures that have left America behind and let American people down.

Many of us working on progressive issues — from public health and the environment to anti-racism to redressing poverty to fighting voter suppression — recognize that our struggles have common roots and also common solutions.

Whether it is real equality, climate change, the rights of students and teachers to have great public schools, the right wing has sabotaged democracy and the ability of government in a healthy democracy to do what it is supposed to do — create conditions that advance the well-being of all people and not just the wealthiest few.

In this new publication, BOLD ReThink, we seek to unmask the domestic enemies of our democracy, of the idea that We the People can hold corporations accountable and have better public policies that protect our health and well-being.

At the same time, we aim to develop and lift up solutions that build a robust democracy by strengthening vital institutions like our public Postal Service, public schools, public health, and more, while also protecting fundamental human rights like the right to vote and to dissent. We advocate for bold solutions that will help address the big challenges we face in 21st century America.

If you are interested in uncovering the common roots of the problems we face, rethinking the role of government, and designing innovative solutions, you’ve come to the right place.

For a taste of this work, read the expose of the Charles Koch’s role in staking efforts to privatize our Postal Service.

We’ll be posting more here on how these vital issues transcend issue area silos that separate us and how we can rally together to help make our democracy work for us all. Please bookmark this page and join us in spreading the word that we can do better — and we must.

","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/734343/BRT%20Hero%20rectangle%20blue%20no%20arrow.jpg","xsmall":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/734343/BRT%20Hero%20rectangle%20blue%20no%20arrow.jpg","small":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/734343/BRT%20Hero%20rectangle%20blue%20no%20arrow.jpg","medium":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/734343/BRT%20Hero%20rectangle%20blue%20no%20arrow.jpg","large":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/734343/BRT%20Hero%20rectangle%20blue%20no%20arrow.jpg"},"links":{"self":"https://www.boldrethink.org/articles/48-introducing-bold-rethink-democracy-needs-system-upgrade"},"comments_count":0,"comments_enabled":true,"action_count":8,"cta_prompt":"By Carolyn Raffensperger, Science and Environmental Health Network, and Lisa Graves, True North Research","cta_type":"share","share_count":8,"published_at":"2021-01-06T03:28:26.837Z","show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"allow_advocacy":true,"profile_id":1,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"translations":{"en":{"status":"published","title":"Introducing the BOLD ReThink: Because Our Democracy Needs a System Upgrade","cta_prompt":"By Carolyn Raffensperger, Science and Environmental Health Network, and Lisa Graves, True North Research","html_content":"

It is time for a bold rethink…

Guess what we got in return?

If you are interested in uncovering the common roots of the problems we face, rethinking the role of government, and designing innovative solutions, you’ve come to the right place.

For a taste of this work, read the expose of the Charles Koch’s role in staking efforts to privatize our Postal Service.

(To view a responsive version of this timeline, with clickable footnotes, click here.)

","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/163556/BRT%20Timeline%201B%20Header.jpg","xsmall":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/163556/BRT%20Timeline%201B%20Header.jpg","small":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/163556/BRT%20Timeline%201B%20Header.jpg","medium":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/163556/BRT%20Timeline%201B%20Header.jpg","large":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/163556/BRT%20Timeline%201B%20Header.jpg"},"links":{"self":"https://www.boldrethink.org/articles/38-new-timeline-describes-racist-anti-government-roots-attacks-american-democracy"},"comments_count":0,"comments_enabled":true,"action_count":0,"cta_prompt":null,"cta_type":"share","share_count":0,"published_at":"2021-01-05T23:47:05.396Z","show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"allow_advocacy":true,"profile_id":1,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"translations":{"en":{"status":"published","title":"New Timeline Describes the Racist and Anti-Government Roots of Attacks on American Democracy","cta_prompt":null,"html_content":"

(To view a responsive version of this timeline, with clickable footnotes, click here.)

","cta_url":null,"custom_cta_text":"Share"}},"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":"New Timeline from the BOLD ReThink Documents Racist and Anti-Government Roots of Attacks on American Democracy","og_description":"The roots of the virulent anti-government fervor among some in the U.S. date back decades. An infamous memo written by tobacco lawyer Lewis Powell has played a key role, with oil baron Charles Koch as one of the most steadfast funders of its implementation. But the seeds date back to rightwing reaction to the New Deal and to the U.S. Supreme Court daring to order the desegration of public schools. Learn more about this history with this timeline.","twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":"The roots of the virulent anti-government fervor among some in the U.S. date back decades. An infamous memo written by tobacco lawyer Lewis Powell has played a key role, with oil baron Charles Koch as one of the most steadfast funders of its implementation. But the seeds date back to rightwing reaction to the New Deal and to the U.S. Supreme Court daring to order the desegration of public schools. Learn more about this history with this timeline.","status":"published"},{"id":37,"title":"Evidence to Help Debunk False Voter Fraud Claims and Expose the Special Interests Pushing Them","html_content":"

The BOLD ReThink created a video to help debunk false voter fraud claims before the November election. It also helps expose how one group, which is bankrolled by one of the richest men in the world, has been hyping voter fraud claims since Barack Obama was elected in 2008: the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

Although the video mentions the election, the intensity of false voter fraud claims has increased in the weeks since election day with Donald Trump and his allies spreading propaganda and disinformation every day. Trump's legal team has lost almost every case it has filed asserting voter fraud and attempting to stop the counting of ballots or to disqualify voters and set aside verified results showing he lost the election by millions of votes.

Please watch and share.

","image_urls":{"small":"https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/965635437-2ba50fdb9ebe54a6b647138fa49678070c452430a6a6a67f5126d262406c1f05-d_295x166","medium":"https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/965635437-2ba50fdb9ebe54a6b647138fa49678070c452430a6a6a67f5126d262406c1f05-d_295x166","large":"https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/965635437-2ba50fdb9ebe54a6b647138fa49678070c452430a6a6a67f5126d262406c1f05-d_295x166","thumb":"https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/965635437-2ba50fdb9ebe54a6b647138fa49678070c452430a6a6a67f5126d262406c1f05-d_295x166","xsmall":"https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/965635437-2ba50fdb9ebe54a6b647138fa49678070c452430a6a6a67f5126d262406c1f05-d_295x166"},"links":{"self":"https://www.boldrethink.org/articles/37-evidence-help-debunk-false-voter-fraud-claims-expose-special-interests-pushing"},"comments_count":0,"comments_enabled":true,"action_count":1,"cta_prompt":null,"cta_type":"share","share_count":1,"published_at":"2021-01-05T06:47:22.409Z","show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"allow_advocacy":true,"profile_id":1,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"translations":{"en":{"status":"published","title":"Evidence to Help Debunk False Voter Fraud Claims and Expose the Special Interests Pushing Them","cta_prompt":null,"html_content":"

Please watch and share.

","cta_url":null,"custom_cta_text":"Share"}},"video_url":"https://player.vimeo.com/video/445003035","video_dimensions":[426,240],"video_aspect_ratio":"16x9","og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"status":"published"},{"id":31,"title":"Watch Our First Democracy Summit and Get Inspired about How We Can Build Change, with Rashad Robinson","html_content":"

Please watch and share BOLD ReThink's first Democracy Summit.

You'll hear about the efforts of Color Of Change to challenge corporate power and build a more just America from Rashad Robinson, the President of America's largest online racial justice organization.

You'll also learn about breakthroughs in grassroots organizing in pushing back on the forces that have been working against our democracy for decades and what we can do to end the distorting influence of the radical right on American life and rebuild our government in Arizona and across the nation from state Senator Rebecca Rios and from Diallo Brooks, the Senior Director of Outreach from People for the American Way.

You'll also learn about BOLD ReThink's efforts from Lisa Graves, Carolyn Raffensperger, and Ann Manning.

And, you'll also find some lovely and inspiring music from our special guest artists, the melodious Crys Matthews and Heather Mae.

You can join in the conversation by becoming part of our community here on Countable (clicking the \"join\" button at the top of the page) and on Facebook by following our page there.

If you have ideas for speakers for future Democracy Summits, please contact us at info \"AT\" boldrethink.org.

We have a lot of work to do together to rebuild our democracy. Together, we can create a progressive democracy that’s powered by us, We the People.

Click here to get knowledge and get more inspired.

","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/55f113/BRT%202021%201st%20Democracy%20Summit%20Video%20Prom.jpg","xsmall":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/55f113/BRT%202021%201st%20Democracy%20Summit%20Video%20Prom.jpg","small":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/55f113/BRT%202021%201st%20Democracy%20Summit%20Video%20Prom.jpg","medium":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/55f113/BRT%202021%201st%20Democracy%20Summit%20Video%20Prom.jpg","large":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/55f113/BRT%202021%201st%20Democracy%20Summit%20Video%20Prom.jpg"},"links":{"self":"https://www.boldrethink.org/articles/31-watch-democracy-summit-get-inspired-build-change-rashad-robinson"},"comments_count":0,"comments_enabled":true,"action_count":0,"cta_prompt":"Learn about Grassroots Breakthroughs from Arizona Senator Rebecca Rios and PFAW's Diallo Brooks","cta_type":"share","share_count":0,"published_at":"2021-01-04T03:13:55.527Z","show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"allow_advocacy":true,"profile_id":1,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"translations":{"en":{"status":"published","title":"Watch Our First Democracy Summit and Get Inspired about How We Can Build Change, with Rashad Robinson","cta_prompt":"Learn about Grassroots Breakthroughs from Arizona Senator Rebecca Rios and PFAW's Diallo Brooks","html_content":"

Please watch and share BOLD ReThink's first Democracy Summit.

You'll also learn about BOLD ReThink's efforts from Lisa Graves, Carolyn Raffensperger, and Ann Manning.

And, you'll also find some lovely and inspiring music from our special guest artists, the melodious Crys Matthews and Heather Mae.

You can join in the conversation by becoming part of our community here on Countable (clicking the \"join\" button at the top of the page) and on Facebook by following our page there.

If you have ideas for speakers for future Democracy Summits, please contact us at info \"AT\" boldrethink.org.

We have a lot of work to do together to rebuild our democracy. Together, we can create a progressive democracy that’s powered by us, We the People.

Click here to get knowledge and get more inspired.

Each month, BOLD ReThink's action team will highlight musicians and other artists standing up for our democracy, because art can change hearts and spread joy.

An January 2021 inaugural \"Artists for Democracy\" are Crys Matthews and Heather Mae.

These two talented artists are the featured musicians in our first Democracy Summit, which you can watch here.

With eight releases and counting, including Battle Hymn for an Army of Lovers, \"Crys Matthews is using her music to build the bridges that so often seem to elude us today. A preacher’s daughter, Matthews is a firm believer in the power of changing hearts instead of minds. Her songs about love and life are reminiscent of a young Tracy Chapman while her social-justice music is already garnering comparisons to Woody Guthrie.\" You can listen to her songs and support her work as a musician through her site, here.

Heather Mae is a singer and song-writer who \"known for openly addressing social issues such as self-love, women’s rights, racial injustice and LGBTQ rights in her music.\" Her new 2019 album, called \"Glimmer,\" is available here. \"When people listen to my new music, my mission is that they feel they're not alone and that they're moved to rediscover the best versions of themselves,\" she has said.

In 2020, they co-wrote \"Six Feet Apart\" to help encourage people during the pandemic.

Congratulations appreciation to Crys and Heather for their artistry, their great hearts, and their devotion to making our democracy and our world a better place.

","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/f5e0e3/BRT%20Artists%20for%20Democracy%20Jan%202021.jpg","xsmall":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/f5e0e3/BRT%20Artists%20for%20Democracy%20Jan%202021.jpg","small":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/f5e0e3/BRT%20Artists%20for%20Democracy%20Jan%202021.jpg","medium":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/f5e0e3/BRT%20Artists%20for%20Democracy%20Jan%202021.jpg","large":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/mp0aj47w/f5e0e3/BRT%20Artists%20for%20Democracy%20Jan%202021.jpg"},"links":{"self":"https://www.boldrethink.org/articles/41-bold-rethink-recognizes-two-artists-democracy-crys-matthews-heather-mae"},"comments_count":1,"comments_enabled":true,"action_count":1,"cta_prompt":null,"cta_type":"share","share_count":0,"published_at":"2021-01-06T01:08:43.837Z","show_byline_follow_button":true,"show_suggested_profiles":false,"reaction_config_id":null,"recipient_config":null,"allow_advocacy":true,"profile_id":1,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"translations":{"en":{"status":"published","title":"BOLD ReThink Recognizes Two \"Artists for Democracy\" -- Crys Matthews and Heather Mae","cta_prompt":null,"html_content":"

Each month, BOLD ReThink's action team will highlight musicians and other artists standing up for our democracy, because art can change hearts and spread joy.

An January 2021 inaugural \"Artists for Democracy\" are Crys Matthews and Heather Mae.

These two talented artists are the featured musicians in our first Democracy Summit, which you can watch here.

In 2020, they co-wrote \"Six Feet Apart\" to help encourage people during the pandemic.

Congratulations appreciation to Crys and Heather for their artistry, their great hearts, and their devotion to making our democracy and our world a better place.

","cta_url":null,"custom_cta_text":"Share"}},"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_share_language":null,"email_share_subject":null,"email_share_body":null,"status":"published"}],"snacks":[{"id":113,"ios_url":"countable://countable.us/web-view:L2FydGljbGVzLzExMy1kb24tdC1vcGVuLWRvb3ItZGFyay1tb25leQ==","web_url":"/articles/113-don-t-open-door-dark-money","image_urls":{"thumb":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/W30JaDJO/af4c27/Ideas%20From%20Allies_Don%27t%20Open%20the%20Door%20Further%20to%20Dark%20Money.png","xsmall":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/W30JaDJO/af4c27/Ideas%20From%20Allies_Don%27t%20Open%20the%20Door%20Further%20to%20Dark%20Money.png","small":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/W30JaDJO/af4c27/Ideas%20From%20Allies_Don%27t%20Open%20the%20Door%20Further%20to%20Dark%20Money.png","medium":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/W30JaDJO/af4c27/Ideas%20From%20Allies_Don%27t%20Open%20the%20Door%20Further%20to%20Dark%20Money.png","large":"https://ul.boldrethink.org/ul/q_auto/W30JaDJO/af4c27/Ideas%20From%20Allies_Don%27t%20Open%20the%20Door%20Further%20to%20Dark%20Money.png"},"title":"Don't 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