What corrupt politicians tell us
By Rabbi Michael Pollack
I need you to read this, and I need you to get angry. I am going to pull back the curtain on a few reasons why the Gift Ban and other bills to get money out of politics are currently stuck in the State Legislature. This is why corruption is legal, and why our political system cannot and does not govern in our interests.
Reason #1: They do not believe corruption is a problem
Top leaders in both parties in both chambers arrogantly say things like “money doesn’t influence our decision making.” Some legislative leaders genuinely believe that they are special human beings above being influenced, and they become offended and angry by the assertion that legislators are influenced by lobbyists who are specifically hired to influence them with unlimited campaign money, gifts, jobs, and secret Super PAC money. They yell, they threaten, and they become hostile when forced to deal with these issues because of our unrelenting and growing pressure.
Reason #2: The State Legislature is an insane institution with toxic behavior that is unacceptable in any other workplace
For example, for the last year the House has refused to act until the Senate acts, which the Senate refuses to do, and it’s all nonsense logic. The Senate GOP refuses to pass a Gift Ban bill.
The House Democrats have been afraid to pass a “common-sense” Gift Ban and send it to the Senate, because they fear that the Republican Senate will amend and change the bill into a Gift Ban bill that is “too strong.”
The Senate GOP wouldn’t do this because they believe in a stronger Gift Ban, but instead to make the House then have to block a bill that is too strong and too popular. Of course, if the House acted, the Senate bluffed, and the House then had to call that bluff because of public pressure, and the end result was a strong Gift Ban bill, Pennsylvania would rejoice. But the State Legislature is not interested in doing what people want.
The top power brokers in the Pennsylvania House and Senate.
Reason #3: They hate us for pressuring them to do the right thing
The contempt that some State Legislators hold for us (and generally for large chunks of the public) is seething and intense. We have many champion legislators who we work well with, but they are generally not very powerful legislators.
The ones who rise to the top are the ones who can fundraise well from lobbyists and mega-corporations on behalf of their party and their colleagues.
And at that level of legislative leadership, they generally despise us. We are accused of being partisan agents, rude and disrespectful two year olds, complete morons, ageist, sexist, anti-worker, and even somehow anti-voter, pro-corruption, and actively harming the Jewish people.
We make them deal with the obvious truth that money in politics is bad and democracy is good, and they either deal with that truth by seeking redemption and doing the right thing, or they retreat behind every layer of arrogance and aggression that got them to where they are in a corrupt political system.
Reason #4: They don’t have to
The three reasons above will not change until we win.
Corrupt politicians will deny the truth, hide behind absurdity, and fight us up until we pass our platform. As Gandhi said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” And then they will even have the audacity to take credit after the fact (like when Nixon took credit for passing a campaign finance bill that he opposed).
But the single most fundamental reason that they don’t pass our Money Out, People In policy platform is because they don’t have to.
We have not yet built what Dr. King called, “The ability, the togetherness, the assertiveness, and the aggressiveness to make the power structure of this nation say yes when they may be desirous to say no.”
We are building in that direction and we are building alongside our allies and coalitions. We are growing our base and our organization, we are developing leaders, and we are advancing aggressive nonviolent campaigns that push the power structure more and more to democratize its own power. As MarchOnHarrisburg and as a broader anti-corruption movement, we need to substantially increase our size, scope, and power.
No politician or political party is coming to save us from being governed by the greed of demented billionaires and soulless mega-corporations. We need to get money out of politics so we can come together, do democracy, and decide to have healthcare, housing, safety, transportation, a liveable planet, compassion for our neighbors, peace, and so much more.
We are under constant assault from a corrupt system hell-bent on pursuing extinction-level greed to the end. We need you to be part of our growing democracy movement. We need your help to turn the tide against fascism and to build a world where we can survive and thrive.
Yes, The Movement Needs YOU
Go to GiftBan.org and do everything in the Action Toolkit
Come March On Harrisburg with us, April 30 - May 3, Reading - Harrisburg
Meet us in Harrisburg at the State Capitol on Monday, May 4th. We will disrupt the corrupt and advance our Money Out, People In agenda
Email us at info@mohpa.org to get more deeply organized and involved in our work
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