Lucas,
Big Business is transparent about at least one thing.
It can't stand the idea of the public holding it accountable for its attempts to buy elections and influence policy.
Here's the latest:
Big Business is so terrified of having its political spending revealed that it is pushing a bill called the Keeping Politics Out of Federal Contracting Act, an Orwellian name for legislation that would actually increase politics -- and corruption -- in government contracts.
Tell your senators to oppose the corporate corruption loophole.
The Keeping Politics Out of Federal Contracting Act (S. 1100), introduced by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), was recently passed in a Senate committee and may well become law unless the public demands otherwise.
The bill is an attempt by corporate lackeys in Congress to stonewall an excellent initiative that the Obama administration floated but has so far failed to implement.
The simple idea was to require government contractors to disclose their campaign-related spending, including the kind of secret corporate campaign expenditures enabled by the U.S. Supreme Court's absurd Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling.
You'll remember that over the past year, Public Citizen has led the charge for adoption of an executive order requiring contractor disclosure. Among other things, we submitted more than 100,000 petitions from Public Citizen and MoveOn activists calling on the administration to adopt the executive order.
Contractor disclosure is important for two key reasons:
1. Virtually every major corporation enters into contracts with the government, so if contractors are required to disclose their campaign spending, that would cover most giant businesses.
2. The corrupting pall of campaign-related contributions is worst in the area of government contracting, since this is where the direct payoffs to corporations from political spending are highest. Disclosure would help mitigate the campaign-contractor corruption nexus.
Unfortunately, the White House seems to have given in to pressure from business interests -- including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- and put the executive order on hold.
When the idea for the executive order first leaked, the response from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's lead lobbyist was, "We will fight it through all available means. To quote what they say every day on Libya, all options are on the table."
The Chamber hasn't altered its views. Said Chamber CEO Tom Donohue last week: "The disclosure thing is all about intimidation."
It's not hard to understand why secretive corporations are worried. If their campaign spending is disclosed, consumers and shareholders may hold them accountable. This is what Donohue calls "intimidation."
Although there's not much chance of President Obama issuing the contractor disclosure executive order in advance of the 2012 election, it's conceivable that he would do so if he is re-elected.
This is why we're confronted with the spectacle of legislation that would prevent the government from trying to reduce the likelihood of corruption through a simple disclosure requirement.
Email your senators now and ask them to take a stand against corruption.
If we have any respect for our democracy, we can't let this proposal become law.
Onward,
Robert Weissman
President, Public Citizen
P.S. Do one more easy thing before you move to the next message in your inbox. Forward this email to five friends, family members, neighbors or colleagues. They'll appreciate knowing what matters to you. And your voice will be amplified by every person who joins you in taking action.