Our democracy’s path forward: Zephyr Teachout’s congressional election is a wake-up call.
Bernie Sanders called it “the most important Congressional race in the country.” I feel fortunate to help with it.
This is my former boss, Zephyr Teachout, and me on a busy day when I had a shorter beard and she wore no makeup. (Sorry, Z.)
She grew up on a farm with 4 siblings, sheep, and pigs. “Zephyr” is Greek and “Teachout” is Dutch. She was our CEO and board chair at MAYDAY.US, the reform org co-founded by Harvard Law’s Lawrence Lessig and GOP strategist Mark McKinnon.
She’s running for Congress today and her race is tied.
Will we win today? I don’t know.
Zephyr’s running to end “Corruption in America” (also the title of her book) by passing long-overdue public financing of congressional elections. You know. Like the $3 check box for public financing of presidential elections that used to ensure it was about the people, not big money interests.
The funders of Zephyr’s opponent, John Faso, pollute the area’s water, steal families’ land through eminent domain abuse, and sneak support of the carried interest tax loophole so they don’t have to pay their share towards our veterans’ healthcare. And Faso supports all of it, in return. This is legal bribery and corruption.
As for our part at MAYDAY.US, we’re boosting student turnout in partnership with Cards Against Humanity, we presented Faso with a giant check in front of the news media to make corruption a bigger issue, and we’re doing an online campaign to show his corruption in search results — none of which was done in coordination with Zephyr’s own campaign. (Want to see the fun parody site that’s showing up in district? Check out http://JohnFasoForNY.com. 😉 Fun, right?)
Faso’s fatcats have spent $10 million to try to beat Zephyr, as Bernie says, “because these billionaires know that she will fight in Congress to take on corruption.”
Reform is in the air. We’ve already won 3 primaries, with Jamie Raskin, Walter Jones, and Pramila Jayapal. And across America, we’re supporting 17 other candidates (like Russ Feingold) and 14 ballot measures like the South Dakota Anti-Corruption Act.
Whether or not we win today — and perhaps even more if we don’t, the path for our country is clear. Our most basic assets — our water, our land, and our country — are under threat from a few big money interests who want to control EVERYTHING. For their benefit, not ours or America’s.
So if we want our public elections to represent us, then we, the People, should be the ones funding them and calling the shots. Not a few, powerful, big money interests.
That’s what we intend to make a reality in 2017 and beyond, in cities and states across the U.S. Just as every successful social movement before us, we will change the nation’s cities and states; then Congress and the Supreme Court will follow. We will hold local and state leaders accountable for their support — or lack thereof — of reform. We are America’s new founders.
Thank you to all who are already playing a role, who have donated, who have volunteered, who have offered your homes and cars, who have partnered, who have held or attended events, who have advised and given warm words of encouragement.
To those who haven’t yet — and to everyone — let me know if you want to become an official member of this true political revolution.
You can reach out at grassroots [at] mayday.us.
Now go vote for reformers, and keep fighting for democracy.
