After 24 Republican senators sent a letter to President Biden attempting to use the debt ceiling as a hostage to force spending cuts, a progressive leader in New Jersey encouraged the White House to turn things around on the GOP and their corporate Democratic allies in Congress.
“Republican senators and congressmen rely on wealthy financiers to stay ahead of the voters but a debt ceiling crisis is serious business with which the GOP and corporate Democrats cannot afford to gamble,” said Lisa McCormick, a longtime advocate of campaign finance reform.
“The success of democracy depends on a healthy and vibrant debate, but we have not had that since the Supreme Court’s absurd Citizens United decision turned America’s elections into auctions,” said McCormick. “Our strength lies not in our perfection, but in the diversity of our voices, but corporate money had drowned out those voices, and this manufacture debt ceiling crisis gives President Biden an opportunity to restore a semblance of democracy in America.”
“The allocation of public campaign funding with provisions to truly outlaw bribery is the first thing necessary to give voters control of our republic,” said McCormick. “The President should insist on congressional approval of campaign finance reform in exchange for his signature on legislation to raise th debt ceiling.”
McCormick said fair and clean elections would allow the restructuring of the American tax system so that wealthy people pay a greater share of their income in taxes than working-class families, a comprehensive response to toxic pollution, a free public education system that works, and all the other things that our people desperately want.
“Those things are unavailable in the oligarchy that the United States has become,” said McCormick.
In her letter to Biden, McCormick recounts her various political campaigns and says: “I am sure many other qualified Americans have sought election only to be hampered by a lack of funding and that situation will only get worse now that campaign spending exceeded $16.7 billion.”
“Americans are outraged that Republican extremists are trying to hold the nation hostage over the debt ceiling. Compromise is important, but you know the difference between compromise and surrender,” McCormick told Biden. “I am disgusted that America turned elections into auctions, so I am urging you to do something bold.”
“I am asking you to not only reject the Republican attempt to hold America hostage but to instead demand effective campaign finance reform that provides sufficient public funding so honest candidates can reach a large audience in free and fair elections,” McCormick told Biden. “Republicans crossed the Rubicon by making the debt ceiling a hostage for negotiation.”