[EL] "How to waste 10 million dollars"

[Luke Wachob]

Just so I have your argument right: Voters always perfectly understand every ballot question and never could benefit from additional information about them. Is that about right?

Or, we could strive not to descend to the least charitable readings of each other’s ideas. Just a thought.

Luke Wachob│lwachob at campaignfreedom.org<mailto:mnese at campaignfreedom.org>

McWethy Fellow, Policy Analyst
Center for Competitive Politics
124 S. West St., Ste. 201
Alexandria, VA 22314
Direct: (703) 894-6844<tel:%28703%29%20894-6844>
www.campaignfreedom.org<http://www.campaignfreedom.org/>

From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of Tyler Creighton
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2014 2:19 PM
To: Steve Klein
Cc: law-election at department-lists.uci.edu
Subject: Re: [EL] "How to waste 10 million dollars"

And the binding questions in Tallahassee and Arkansas?

As for the strategy of non-binding ballot questions, voter instructions are baked into American democracy with a tradition dating back before the Constitution. It's long been the way regular people who do not have the backing of millionaires and corporations participate in and shape our political system.

Also just so I have your argument right: Voters are too ignorant to know the issues they support unless opposition groups inundate them with misleading, negative attack ads explaining the "truth". Is that about right?

Tyler Creighton | tyler at rethinkmedia.org<mailto:tyler at rethinkmedia.org>  |  Media Associate
ReThink Media<http://rethinkmedia.org> | (202) 449-6960 office | (925) 548-2189 mobile
@ReThinkDemocrcy<https://twitter.com/rethinkdemocrcy> | @ReThink_Media<https://twitter.com/rethink_media> | @TylerCreighton<http://www.twitter.com/tylercreighton>

On Thu, Nov 6, 2014 at 1:50 PM, Steve Klein <stephen.klein.esq at gmail.com<mailto:stephen.klein.esq at gmail.com>> wrote:
I suspect that non-binding local resolutions aren't going to draw the discussion of elections that actually matter, of which there were quite a few on Tuesday. Perhaps that's the idea behind Move to Amend's strategy?

The Lowell, Mass. referendum <http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_26874800/referendum-corporate-political-spending-passes-mass> asked legislators to:

"vote for a resolution calling up Congress to propose an amendment affirming that 1.) rights protected under the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only and 2.) both Congress and the states may place limits on political contributions and political spending"

... I further suspect that with no counter to this, like, say, "Congress could then go back to banning documentary films," the average Jane and Joe are easily swayed by these platitudes.


On Thu, Nov 6, 2014 at 11:40 AM, Tyler Creighton <tyler at rethinkmedia.org<mailto:tyler at rethinkmedia.org>> wrote:
How do you explain away all of the voters that expressly voted for campaign finance reform? To name a few, Arkansas voters<http://www.governing.com/topics/elections/gov-arkansas-voters-term-limits-ballot.html> pass ban on lobbyists gifts and direct corporate & union contributions to candidates. Voters in Tallahassee<http://daily.represent.us/anti-corruption-movement-scores-major-victory-polls> passed an anti-corruption measure limiting campaign contributions and establishing public financing. Voters in Massachusetts, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Florida<https://movetoamend.org/press-release/election-shows-americans-ready-amend-constitution> overwhelmingly pass ballot questions calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. More on Massachusetts<http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_26874800/referendum-corporate-political-spending-passes-mass> and Wisconsin<http://scwmta.org/?p=2139> ballot questions.

Tyler Creighton | tyler at rethinkmedia.org<mailto:tyler at rethinkmedia.org>  |  Media Associate
ReThink Media<http://rethinkmedia.org> | (202) 449-6960<tel:%28202%29%20449-6960> office | (925) 548-2189<tel:%28925%29%20548-2189> mobile
@ReThinkDemocrcy<https://twitter.com/rethinkdemocrcy> | @ReThink_Media<https://twitter.com/rethink_media> | @TylerCreighton<http://www.twitter.com/tylercreighton>

On Thu, Nov 6, 2014 at 1:00 PM, Joe Trotter <jtrotter at campaignfreedom.org<mailto:jtrotter at campaignfreedom.org>> wrote:
Just a heads up, if you are interested in seeing how candidates supported by groups primarily concerned with money in politics this election cycle, Byron Tau and Ken Vogel wrote a great piece, "How to waste 10 million dollars<http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/2014-elections-mayday-pac-larry-lessig-112617.html>."  Additionally, if you haven't seen it, CCP released an analysis of candidates supported by MayDay PAC, which is available here<http://www.campaignfreedom.org/2014/11/05/mayday-pacs-candidates-sink/>.

It is always great to see new people and groups exposing voters to their ideas and always interesting to see how well received those ideas are by the electorate.


Joe Trotter
Center for Competitive Politics
124 S. West St., Ste. 201
Alexandria, VA 22314
www.CampaignFreedom.org<http://www.CampaignFreedom.org>
jtrotter at campaignfreedom.org<mailto:jtrotter at campaignfreedom.org>


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--
Steve Klein
Staff Attorney & Research Counsel*
Wyoming Liberty Group
www.wyliberty.org<http://www.wyliberty.org>

*Licensed to practice law in Illinois. Counsel to the Wyoming Liberty Group pursuant to Rule 5.5(d) of the Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct.

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