If Blagojevich Is Against it, Your State Rep. Should Be For It....Campaign Finance Reform

by Ed Fallon

From 1993 to 2006, Ed served seven terms in the Iowa Legislature, representing residents of downtown Des Moines, the surrounding neighborhoods and the City’s northeast side. Ed’s focus as a lawmaker was to champion the needs of constituency groups treated unfairly by government or neglected by the majority of policy makers.  He also became a leader on land-use, the environment, reforming tax increment financing (TIF), and opposing corporate welfare.  He is co-founder of I'm for Iowa an Independence Movement for Iowa.

The following is a guest opinion published in the Des Moines Register.

It's easy to muster contempt for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Politics in America are rife with corruption, but rarely is corruption as brazen and unrepentant as what we've been treated to recently by Illinois' soon-to-be former CEO.

To learn that someone apparently would openly try to sell a U.S. Senate seat shocks and disgusts us.

Blagojevich is a menace and needs to go to the gated community where other Illinois governors before him have gone. But America's campaign-finance system is a far greater menace to democracy. If we can muster shock and disgust for Blagojevich, we should be utterly appalled at the pervasive role of money in politics.

Face it. What we call "elections" have become auctions. The auctioning of U.S. Senate seats occurs every six years - every two years for congressional and state legislative seats. Big donors, corporations and special interests "bid" on the candidate of their choice. In close races, the smart money bids on both candidates, and the one backed by the highest bidders usually wins.

We don't want to believe our elected officials can be bought. But as someone who served for 14 years in the Iowa House, I say with confidence that what big money wants, big money usually gets. Rank-and-file lawmakers may be well-intentioned but often are strong-armed by legislative leaders beholden to corporate donors and special interests. As a result, the most pressing challenges of our time - climate change, budgetary reform, health care, farm policy, to name a few - see practically no progress year after year.

So, while I hope the good people of Illinois fire Blagojevich and fire him soon, I have a more pressing hope that Americans across the country get fired up for campaign-finance reform. In Iowa, Senator-elect Pam Jochum is leading the charge on VOICE (Voter-Owned Iowa Clean Elections). This bill would make it easier for rank-and-file lawmakers to stand up to party leaders, allow more citizens to run for office and give the public far greater access to the halls of power.

The federal equivalent of Jochum's bill is sponsored by Sens. Dick Durbin and Arlen Specter. Both would establish greater fairness, openness and accountability in the financing of elections. Both deserve our strong backing.

When lawmakers consider whether to support campaign-finance reform, perhaps the question they should ask is this: What would Blagojevich do? Well, beyond the governor's attempt to sell a U.S. Senate seat, his veto of a bill to prohibit contributions from donors with state contracts of more than $50,000 makes it clear he's no friend of reform.

And I can't think of a stronger endorsement than that for reducing the role of money in politics.

Our Second Priority:  Media Reform

  by Trish Nelson

If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, is there sound?

If 300,000 war protesters march on Washington and no one sees it on TV, is there an anti-war movement? 

As I begin my first blog post today as incoming editor of Blog for Iowa, I would like to quote my friend and mentor Nicholas Johnson, former FCC Commissioner and media reform activist, who says it best in his book, Your Second Priority:a Former FCC Commissioner Speaks Out (Myrtle Orchard Press and Lulu.com).   

“Whatever is your first priority, whether it is women’s rights or saving wildlife, your second priority has to be media reform.  With it you at least have a chance of accomplishing your first priority.  Without it, you don’t have a prayer.” 

Progressive activists who read this blog have been working tirelessly to bring needed change – to Iowa, to your communities, to the nation and to the world.  You are working on health care, the environment, issues of peace and justice and you are helping progressive candidates get elected.  

Unfortunately, progress is a painstakingly slow process, due at least in part to the corporate-owned  media which controls everything that is seen and heard on the airwaves.  Have you ever thought how much easier it would be to make progress if there was equality and diversity of access to the media?  Without access to the mass media, progressives face big obstacles when it comes to getting the message delivered. 

And just imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have to overcome the roadblock of a substantial number of misinformed individuals, including elected officials and persons in leadership positions, who routinely listen to FOX News, Rush Limbaugh, and Iowa’s own WHO-Radio, which airs conservative talk programming 8 ½ hours a day, 5 days a week. 

Fortunately, there may be good news on the horizon for progressives and media reform activists.  The FCC is about to say good-bye to Chairman Kevin Martin and new commissioners will soon be appointed.  The incoming Obama administration has shown every sign of being media reform friendly.   Localism is making a comeback.  Community radio and low power FM stations are cropping up in Iowa and across the country.   The free and open internet is the new great equalizer (but it is in danger, so we must continue the fight for net neutrality and high speed internet access to rural areas).  Organizations such as Iowa Independent are providing outstanding online original reporting, and Dailykos  and Moveon have  informed and organized a nation of progressives.

Howard Dean said in 2004 that we must “take back the corporate-owned media and infuse it with the voice of the people.”  At Blog for Iowa, we intend to launch actions related to media issues, continue covering Iowa news and events, and invite the BFIA community to submit ideas and action alerts specific to your home towns, counties and districts.    

Whether your first priority issue is taking on a local coal plant or a hog confinement operation, targeting an elected official that needs to be ousted, planning a peace march or a letter-writing effort to a local newspaper, TV or Radio station, Blog for Iowa wants to know about it.

Watch this space for more information about local and statewide actions related to the issues of the day.  Blog for Iowa welcomes your input and suggestions and will happily post your events and action alerts.  Helping progressives in Iowa organize for change is our first priority.