-
8/20/2019 WI-07 Kirk Bangstad Email (Oct. 2015)
1/3
We can't accept that money wins elections.
From: Kirk Bangstad
Date: Wed, Oct 28, 2015 at 7:50 PM
Subject: We can't accept that money wins elections.
To:
Dear Friend,
In this Wreal World Wednesday video, I was frustrated. I had
just gotten back fromWashington D.C. and was told I hadn’t raised
enough money to prove that I was aviable candidate against my
incumbent opponent.
I sat in my house over the last two days wondering what to do,
and then I read anarticle in the New York Times that said
campaign finance reform was working in placeslike New York City and
Connecticut. I then spoke to an expert on rural broadband in
Wisconsin who said the reason we don’t have it in large swaths
of the 7 th district isbecause our Republican legislature is
bought and sold by the lobbyists for Charter,
AT&T, Verizon, etc. who don’t want to expand broadband
in rural areas because it willcost those corporations a lot of
profit.
I then went on a jog in the rain on the woodsy Raven Trail in my
town of Woodruff andgot mad!and wet. I thought to myself “Why is
Wisconsin, which has been a bastion of
-
8/20/2019 WI-07 Kirk Bangstad Email (Oct. 2015)
2/3
clean government for the last hundred years, getting thumped
relentlessly by corruptionwhen other cities and states are starting
to figure out how to fight back?” My answer was that our state
can’t just roll over and accept that money wins elections.
I won’t accept that as true, because the people of Wisconsin in
both parties are smarter than what money buys—a false reality
shown through smooth television
advertisements—and they will eventually see the dystopia that
has become Wisconsinover the last six years.
The average citizen has been priced out of running for office,
and that’s thenumber one reason why Washington is so
dysfunctional.
I’ve been told by many political consultants in Washington D.C.
that in order to get our message out to the voters, we’d need
to raise $1.5M. Let’s put this $1.5M price tag torun successfully
for congress in context. The average per capita income in
MarathonCounty, the largest county in the district, is $27,000. In
our current system, only thosewith access to wealth can run a
viable campaign for congress.
And my opponent has access to wealth—much of it belonging to
groups whocould care less about the interests of citizens in
Northern Wisconsin .
According to Opensecrets.com, nearly half of
the approximately $1M that my opponentSean Duffy has raised in 2015
has come from special interest political actioncommittees (PACs).
This unsustainable patronage system gives rise to
Manchuriancandidates like Duffy who relentlessly tries to defang
Elizabeth Warren’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at the
behest of his banking patrons to the detriment of senior
citizens in this district being preyed upon by shady lenders and
bankers, andScott Walker, who allowed his out-of-state mining
benefactors to write legislation that
weakened environmental protections to clean water.
We need to root out the “cancer” that is too much money in
politics. This cancer is killing our democracy, and until we
cure this disease, we’re going to have the“tumors” of dysfunction
and corruption popping up everywhere.
I realize now after seeing the system up close, that in order
for us to once again have ademocracy that serves the needs of its
citizens, we need to change the system thatgives corporate money so
much sway in politics.
Given the complete dysfunction of US congress buttressed by the
disastrous CitizensUnited decision that opened the floodgates to
dark money in elections, I believe thebest way to strengthen
democracy is at the grassroots level.
This belief is rooted in history. Robert LaFollette, the great
Wisconsin Progressive,championed the end to corporate campaign
contributions at the state level in 1905 at atime when the
nation as a whole was rife with corruption and run at the behest
of Robber Barons. These state laws served as a beacon of light
to the rest of the nation tofollow suit with the passing of the
Tilman Act, which banned corporate campaign
-
8/20/2019 WI-07 Kirk Bangstad Email (Oct. 2015)
3/3
contributions signed by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1907.
I believe the two best policies to pursue in the shadow of
Citizens United are publicfunding of elections and the creation of
bipartisan commissions to restrict politicalgerrymandering.
I will not explain these policies at length, but to learn more
about them, please go hereand here.
I will dedicate myself to enacting these laws in Wisconsin and
the US going forward,and I hope many of you will join me in this
fight. This great state of ours is in realtrouble, and we need
passionate voices to fight the cancer of too much money inpolitics
that is killing our democracy.
Please forward or repost this letter and video so that others
know we are fightinghard against corruption in the Northwoods of
Wisconsin
Thanks,
Kirk
This email was sent to
Contributions or gifts to Kirk Bangstad for Congress are not tax
deductible.
Paid for by Kirk Bangstad for Congress
All content © 2015 Kirk Bangstad for Congress, All Rights
Reserved
Kirk Bangstad for Congress
PO Box 616
Minocqua, WI 54548
Privacy Policy
