Hopefully, you’ve caught Joan Mandle’s recent post on this blog about the attempts to buy our elections through attack ads funded by right-wing corporate-allied PACs.
Well, a new Citizen Action of New York report on the First Congressional District race on the east end of Long Island provides further evidence on what can happen when corporate money is allowed to flow with few restrictions. Our October 26th report, “Corporate Cash, Personal Wealth,” found that Randy Altschuler (R), the former head of an outsourcing giant, has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from companies seeking a weakening of financial reform legislation, the repeal of health care reform and tax policies favoring the needs of the wealthy and corporations over those of the middle class. And that’s in addition to the over $2 million of his own funds he’s sinking into his campaign! Click here for a copy of the full report. It’s clear that Randy Altschuler’s corporate sponsors expect to get a good return on their investment. They’re already getting it in a candidate who is calling for the repeal of health reform that will ensure over 1 million addition New Yorkers, and more tax cuts for the wealthy. Mr. Altschuler is running against incumbent Timothy Bishop (D), a supporter of health reform, who is endorsed by Citizen Action.
We can’t get depressed about corporate money in politics, we’ve got to get outraged! This means going to the polls on November 2nd and voting Row E down the line for the Working Families Party, and doing elections work up to November 2nd. And, as Joan says, let’s all fight for the Fair Elections Now Act (FENA), federal legislation that will provide public financing of elections, thus lessening the influence of corporate money. Finally, Congress is expected to take up the expiration of the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy next month during its “lame duck” session. Watch this site for updated information soon on what you can do to stop this $700 billion giveaway to the rich.