March 2, 2002

A Message from Granny D:

Act now on campaign finance reform!

West Virginia Note: To save West Virginia's mountains we need to clean up the state's politics through enactment of a Clean Elections program. Reducing coal usage is also a global greenhouse issue --get involved on the front lines!

Dear Friends,

The opponents of campaign finance reform are phone-banking with a vengeance, ringing the phones off the hook at the US Capitol and at the local offices of US Senators around the nation. Indiana's Senator Lugar, a key swing vote, has received 1,358 calls against the bill as of yesterday, and only 15 in support. The next few days could see erosion of support for reform if those of us who believe in reform don't get with it.

It is very important that everyone who wants to get big, special-interest money out of our elections now make some calls or send some faxes.

Here's the Common Cause message system to Congress.

If the response has been weak, part of the explanation is that the anti-reformers have scared-off some of the weaker-kneed reform organizations who aren't focused on getting corporate money out of our politics. These organizations are concerned about the bill's provision that allows a jump in the hard money that individuals can give. The whole point of the reform battle, however, is to return democracy to individuals, so this one step back is worth the two steps forward. Plus, we can get public financing to move forward much easier without corporate money in the mix.

So it is very important for you to call your Senator and urge passage of The Campaign Finance Reform bill without amendments of any kind. Amendments will force a Senate-House conference committee, where the bill will surely die.

Please call and fax and write. Do what you can. I will do what I can. I am heading to Arkansas this Sunday and Indiana on Tuesday night to encourage yes votes from key senators there.

Sincerely, Doris "Granny D" Haddock http://grannyd.com/statereformers.htm