Common Cause in Wisconsin Reform Update - October 28, 2010
- Undisclosed Attack Ads Flood Wisconsin Airwaves
- Legislators and Citizens Discuss Reform at Forum in Appleton
- Minnesota Does Disclosure Right
1. "Thanks" to an irresponsible and reckless decision made by a narrow majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court in August, Wisconsin citizens will never know who is funding the millions of dollars worth of political attack ads from outside special interest groups that are airing almost every minute of the day and night attempting to influence the outcome of state elections.
On August 13th, a bitterly divided Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a 4 (Gableman, Prosser, Rogensack and Ziegler) to 3 (Abrahamson, Bradley and Crooks) decision to block from continuing in effect, a disclosure rule that would require outside organizations trying to influence the outcome of elections in Wisconsin -- through campaign communications masquerading as issue advocacy -- to disclose their donors and register with the state:
Court halts rule on political ads. The rule, which was promulgated by the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB) -- and not opposed by the Wisconsin Legislature -- took effect on August 1st. But the narrow majority on the court -- in an act of incredible and hypocritical judicial aggressiveness -- intervened at the behest of several outside special interest groups seeking to preserve the corrupt
status quo - preventing disclosure of these phony issue ads.
Since the Court's injunction in mid-August, the citizens of Wisconsin have been robbed of needed transparency in our elections. CC/WI strongly supported the GAB rule and has been pushing for transparency and disclosure of the donors of phony issue ads since we first proposed a similar rule and legislation back in 1997.
The State Supremes have not acted in either a timely or expeditious manner in deciding this issue. Two and a half months after suspending the GAB disclosure rule, there is still no decision from the Court. They should never have intervened in the first place. The matter had already been decided by the nation's highest court last January. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1 in the
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that more robust disclosure can and should be required of organizations that seek to influence the outcome of an election -- as the phony issue ads run in Wisconsin clearly do.
As a result, Wisconsin has been ground zero in the nation in the number of undisclosed communications made by outside groups in Gubernatorial elections. Wisconsin voters will also have no idea who the donors are behind the hundreds of thousands of dollars of communications being spent on statewide and legislative elections.
A Milwaukee television news report earlier this week provides a clear and concise summary of this entire situation and what is at stake.
Wisconsin's largest newspaper, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorialized on the secrecy problem on Tuesday.
And if Wisconsin is "ground zero" for undisclosed communications by outside special interest groups, then the Fox Valley is ground zero in Wisconsin.
2. This past Monday evening, Common Cause in Wisconsin hosted another in our series of "reform forums" around Wisconsin to talk to and hear from citizens all over the state about the need for political reform. More than 60 citizens gathered in Appleton at Lawrence University to hear opening remarks from Wisconsin State Representatives Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah) and Penny Bernard Schaber (D-Appleton), Andrea Kaminski, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, and Jay Heck, CC/WI's excutive director.
The need for disclosure of outside special interest group campaign communications, public financing, redistricting reform, state budget reform and the need to ratchet down the unprecedented partisan rancor in the state were all discussed. Citizens asked many excellent questions and offered insightful opinions. You can see the Wisconsin Eye coverage of the forum here.
3. The Green Bay Packers finally prevailed over the Minnesota Vikings and Brett Farvre last Sunday, to the delight of most Wisconsinites. But when it comes to requiring the disclosure of the donors to outside special interest groups making campaign communications, Minnesota is way ahead of Wisconsin. When the U.S. Supreme Court unleashed the flood of corporate and union treasury money to drown out the voices of citizens in the Citizens United decision last January, the Minnesota Legislature acted swiftly to require disclosure of those entities donating to "front" groups running campaign communications. In Wisconsin, the Legislature adjourned in April without reaching agreement on disclosure legislation.
The Minnesota Legislature -- unlike the Vikings and Favre -- got the job done and now have the disclosure law Wisconsin needs.
Jay Heck, Executive Director
Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 W. Johnson St., Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703
608/256-2686
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Join Common Cause in Wisconsin!
www.CommonCauseWisconsin.org
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Press Release
October 21, 2010
CONTACT:
Jay Heck – 608/256-2686
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM PUBLIC FORUM
TO TACKLE VITAL POLITICAL REFORM ISSUES
Monday Evening, October 25th at Lawrence University
6:30 - 8:00 PM
Warch Campus Center 225 (Hurvis Room)
Lawrence University
711 E. Boldt Way, Appleton, WI
Campaign finance and political reform has been a major focus in the Wisconsin Legislature and in the media over the past year -- and with good reason:
Unprecedented amounts of political cash -- much of it undisclosed from outside special interest groups -- is being spent in Wisconsin's elections for Governor, for control of the Wisconsin Legislature and for the U.S. House and Senate.
On December 1st, the most significant, substantive campaign finance reform in Wisconsin in 30 years
became law when the Governor signed the “Impartial Justice” Bill after the Wisconsin Legislature passed it in November. This new law will provide full public financing to qualifying candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court who voluntarily agree to abide by a spending limit of $400,000.
Not surprisingly, within weeks of its enactment, opponents of campaign finance reform launched counterattacks in the form of two separate lawsuits against the “Impartial Justice” Law.
In addition, the Wisconsin legislature has yet to pass a crucial measure that would require disclosure of the donors behind those ubiquitous vile and demeaning attack ads masquerading as issue ads that appear during the election season and are funded by outside special interest groups.
And finally, this spring partisan legislative and Congressional leaders will draw new voting districts -- a process that happens just once every 10 years. Here in Wisconsin, this process is done behind closed doors, without public participation or input. Legislators spend millions of taxpayer dollars to pay expensive lawyers to help them “choose” their voters by creating partisan, uncompetitive districts. Reforming Wisconsin’s disgraceful redistricting process must happen if we ever hope to see truly competitive elections.
These and other campaign finance reforms are more vital than ever as we brace ourselves for the fallout of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United vs Federal Election Commission— a decision that, among other things, gives corporations and interest groups the ability to use money from their treasury coffers to fund candidates, thus potentially giving these entities far greater influence on the outcome of elections at both the federal and state levels.
How will the Citizens United decision affect Wisconsin? How can we find out who is really behind those vicious attack ads? Can the "Impartial Justice" Law withstand the lawsuits filed against it? And how should we change the way our voting districts are drawn?
These important and timely issues will be the focus of discussion in Appleton this coming Monday during a "Reform Forum" organized by CC/WI entitled:
What Ever Happened to Good Government in Wisconsin?
**And How Should We Fix It?**
Panelists will include:
Panelists will include:
State Representative Penny Bernard Schaber (D-Appleton)
State Representative Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah)
Executive Director Andrea Kaminski of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin
Executive Director Jay Heck of Common Cause in Wisconsin
Lawrence University Professor David Gerard will serve as Moderator.
Please join us at this free public forum for what we anticipate will be a lively discussion.
Full details can be found here.
__________________________________________
Jay Heck, Executive Director
Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 W. Johnson St., Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703
608/256-2686
Want Good Government?
Join Common Cause in Wisconsin!
http://www.commoncausewisconsin.org/
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Common Cause in Wisconsin Reform Update - October 12, 2010
- Candidates for Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General Weigh In (Or Not) on Political Reform
- In 2010, as in 1910 - Reform Hangs in the Balance
- Debating Campaign Finance Reform & Disclosure at Marquette Law School
1. During the Summer, the
League of Women Voters of Wisconsin sent candidates for statewide office and for the Legislature and Congress a number of questions about candidate positions on issues. Common Cause in Wisconsin collaborated in the effort and two weeks ago we reported the
responses of the candidates for Governor. Below are the responses (or lack of them) of the two major candidates for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin and for Attorney General of Wisconsin on political reform issues:
The Questions
1. Do you support extending to all other state offices a system of public financing along the lines of the one created for state Supreme Court elections in the 2009 Impartial Justice Act?
2. Who should be responsible for redrawing legislative districts after each census: the Legislature, a nonpartisan legislative service agency or an independent citizen commission?
3. Do you support registration, reporting and advertising disclaimer requirements for corporate election spending? Do you support requiring corporations to notify and get permission from share holders in order to engage in election spending?
The Responses of the Candidates for Lieutenant Governor
Tom Nelson (Democrat)
1. We need to work to get the money out of politics. Whether it be through the expansion of Impartial Justice, or through other programs it is important for people to have faith in their government. This session the state Assembly, in which I served as the Majority Leader, effectively banned fundraising during the budget, passed the Impartial Justice Act, and worked to find real solutions to giving our constituents faith in their government.
2. Every ten years there is a mad scramble for power in both houses of government, as well as the Governor's Office, to redraw the lines after the US Census. Unfortunately, it breeds further partisanship and only causes the people to have less faith in their government. This process is expensive, and almost always ends up in the courts. Mayor Barrett has put forth a plan to change how redistricting is done. Indeed, we need a transparent process that ensures that the Voting Rights Act is followed, as well as a process that yields real competitive districts.
3. Yes; Yes
Rebecca Kleefisch (Republican)
1. No Response
2. No Response
3. No Response
Then, last week, both candidates did address the question of redistricting reform in interviews with DoorCountyDailyNews.Com in which Democrat Tom Nelson reiterated his support for reform while Republican Rebecca Kleefisch said she supports the current, corrupt status quo.
The Responses of the Candidates for Attorney General of Wisconsin
Scott Hassett (Democrat)
1. I do support a system of public financing for elections and I am taking the public financing grant available to my campaign.
2. I favor a nonpartisan legislative service agency or an independent citizen commission to redraw legislative districts. Partisanship needs to be as far removed from redistricting as possible.
3. Yes I do support registration, reporting and advertising disclaimer requirements for corporate election spending in order to bring integrity and transparency to the election process. I support shareholder involvement in political spending decisions by a corporation.
J B Van Hollen (Republican) Incumbent
1. No Response
2. No Response
3. No Response
2. The 2010 election in Wisconsin may be as pivotal with regard to the future of political reform as was the 1910 election. Read the Common Cause in Wisconsin Executive Director's essay about the two elections, which was the featured opinion-editorial in this past Sunday's Wisconsin State Journal.
3. Common Cause in Wisconsin takes its message about the need for political reform all over the state. Later this month we will be in Appleton at one of our frequent "reform forums." Last week, the CC/WI executive director was a participant in a debate about campaign finance reform and disclosure in Wisconsin at the Marquette University Law School. The debate was moderated by Mike Gousha, a fellow at the law school and host of the statewide public affairs television program "Up Front." Opposing reform was Marquette law professor and conservative blogger, Rick Esenberg.
For a recap of the debate, read: Heck and Esenberg: What’s Worse, Campaigning or Campaign Reform?
To see the video and/or to listen to the debate, go here.
Jay Heck, Executive Director
Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 W. Johnson St., Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703
608/256-2686
Want Good Government?
Join Common Cause in Wisconsin!
www.CommonCauseWisconsin.org
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What Ever Happened to Good Government in Wisconsin?
*** And How Can We Fix It? ***
Monday, October 25th, 2010
6:30 – 8:00 PM
Warch Campus Center 225 - Hurvis Room
Lawrence University
711 E. Boldt Way, Appleton, WI
** Free and Open to the Public -- Light Refreshments will be Served **
Please come join in the discussion and learn more about:
- Redistricting Reform – why it’s necessary and how should we do it?
- Disclosure of interest-group “phony issue ads” and other “outside” spending
- Public Financing of Wisconsin Supreme Court and other state elections
- Campaign Finance Reform in Wisconsin after the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Citizens United vs F.E.C.
Panelists:
State Representative Penny Bernard Schaber (D-Appleton)
State Representative Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah)
Andrea Kaminski - Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Executive Director Jay Heck of Common Cause in Wisconsin
Moderator: Professor David Gerard of Lawrence University
Presented by: Common Cause in Wisconsin (Underwritten by The Joyce Foundation)
For more information: call Sandra Miller at (608) 658-2109
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