[GPSCC-chat] Other Voices article

[Rob Means]

Although Mr. Weinstein is clearly a committed citizen of Milpitas, he
seems to have made an error in logic during the course of his 1/16/2015
Other Voices article in the Post. Using a small sample to infer
something about a large population is a common mistake.

In his article, the cited example is the success of a local citizens
group against the half-a-million dollar pro-casino campaign. This case
clearly shows that money is not the only factor in a political victory.
However, making the logical leap to “money has not been an influence in
outcomes” does not follow.

As in Milpitas, Richmond residents were up against a corporation willing
to spend big bucks to get their way. There, $3 million was spent by
Chevron to back their 5 council candidates and oppose the three
progressive Team Richmond candidates. That works out to $72 per
registered voter! The Team Richmond candidates spent less that $1 per
voter – and won.

Both these cases apparently show that money does not matter. The reality
is that money is just one factor in a political campaign. Team Richmond
outlines some of the other factors at http://snipurl.com/29md8kx  Here
is their key point: “What made us able to turn around the hit pieces and
the essential ingredient in our victory is that we have been organizing
and building for 10 years, and we have built roots through everyday
community activity.”

A review of the literature indicates “Candidates who raise a lot of
money tend to do better, and it’s more likely than not that at least
part of this relationship is due to money paying for things like ads and
canvassers that help candidates win over new voters and/or turn out
their bases.” (http://snipurl.com/29mdgj7) Again, money is a factor; it
simply is not the only factor. 

Looking at such a small sampling, one could legitimately ask “Where is
this influence that money seems to buy?” My first response is to note
that foods on our grocery store shelves that contain GMO ingredients are
still unlabeled. The ballot measure to require labeling was on its way
to an easy victory – until big corporate money shifted the electorate
just enough to defeat the proposition. Advertising works! Otherwise,
corporations would not be spending $280 billion annually on it, or 2% of
the entire country's GDP. (See http://galbithink.org/ad-spending.htm)

One place to look for a good sample (over 100 data points) is the U.S.
Congress. At a time when the science is settled, and both the President
and the Pope agree on the matter, many politicians still deny the
occurrence of human-caused global warming. Specifically, 53 percent of
the Republicansin the House of Representatives, and 70 percent on the
Senate side. 

One explanation for this disconnect from reality is the influence of
money - which is backed up by the numbers.The 38 climate deniers in the
Senate have taken $27,845,946 in donations from the coal, oil and gas
industries, while the 62 Senators who haven’t denied the science have
taken $11,339,967 in career contributions. According to the Center for
American Progress Action Fund analysis, on average, Senate deniers took
$732,788 from fossil fuel interests while other Senators took one-fourth
as much, $182,902. Similarly, on the House side, the average denier took
$272,536 from coal, oil and gas interests while other members took
$80,095.

That shows a strong correlation between carbon-fueled contributions and
political denial of what is obvious to 97% of scientists and most
educated people. What really irritates me is that polluting European
companies are also funding U.S. politicians that block climate
legislation. The Guardian, a prestigious British newspaper, has found
that, “nearly 80 percent of campaign donations from a number of major
European firms were directed towards senators who blocked action on
climate change.”

Massive expenditures on our elections and politics by corporations, both
foreign and domestic, results from Supreme Court decisions saying that
money is speech and corporations are entitled to Constitutional rights.
Our citizens are not stupid. Polling shows that 75% of Americans believe
that money buys results in Congress, and 72% support limiting corporate
spending on election campaigns. However, until we over-rule the Supremes
with a 28th Amendment to the Constitution, we don't have that option.

Mr. Weinstein is a pillar of our community who publicly declares
“Improving democracy is important and I will support every effort to do
so.” So, I invite him and every other citizen interested in improving
our democracy, to sign the MoveToAmend petition for a 28th Amendment at
http://snipurl.com/29mfmni. Be part of the nationwide movement to take
back control of our elections and our politicians.
***
For the past two years, Rob Means has worked with the Santa Clara County
affiliate of MoveToAmend.org to pass a 28th Amendment. He is active in
Milpitas politics and is a frequent contributor to this paper.
-- 
Rob Means, Communications Work Group
MoveToAmend - Santa Clara County, http://scc-mta.org/
1421 Yellowstone Ave., Milpitas, CA 95035-6913
408-262-0420h, 408-262-8975w, rob.means at electric-bikes.com
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