Kerry and Wellstone Shared Vision of Grassroots Campaign to Change System

[WiseMen]

A grassroots campaign to reform politics in America was a shared vision of senators John Kerry and Paul Wellstone. My last post was slammed because I suggested that Wellstone was for John Kerry in general and would likely have supported a Kerry candidacy. So here I just lay out the shared vision of these two senators who worked hard together for almost a decade toward their goals.

John Kerry’s long March for political reform began with his 1984 run for the senate in which he refused PAC money which was the staple fundraising mechanism at the time.
From his first senate term, Kerry was a champion of campaign finance reform, and was only accepting $250 donations. Over 4 senate campaigns the average donation accepted was $77.

After Wellstone got into the senate in 1990 he worked quite closely with Kerry on reform proposals. They collaborated on many things from fundraising and their senate campaigns , environmental polich, campaign finance reform and even discussions of running for President.


Together they worked on a long-term strategy for winning politics in America by building a progressive force to organize within the Democratic Party using a grassroots campaign for clean money/clean elections.

Wellstone-Kerry Clean Money Clean Elections bill (S. 982) was by far the most comprehensive effort to get corporate influence money out of the political process.
Wellstone-Kerry bill proposes a system of grants, indexed to to a state’s voting age population for candidates meeting qualifying requirements and agreeing to abide to abide by the Clean Money rules like adopting strict spending and contribution caps.

For Senate campaigns, for example, the grants would have a floor of $760,000 and a ceiling of $4,400,000 and would be modified to reflect a state’s media market(s). Grants would include independent and third-party candidates. Along with grants Wellstone-Kerry would mandate big discounts on postage rates and television advertisements.

Wellstone-Kerry is so far-reaching the it likely will never pass without a Democratic President, House and Senate. This path will not be easy; it will require a sustained grassroots effort; but it is brightest hope for political reform.

Following: Excerpt from Wellstone Interview

An interview with Paul Wellstone. (US Senator)(Interview)
Tikkun, Jan-Feb, 1998, by Jack Newfield

NEWFIELD: Let's talk a little bit about an issue like campaign finance reform, because one of the things that I wonder about is (A) whether the average voter really cares about it. And (B) to go back to the lessons of the Sixties, whether you can do anything in the Senate without a grassroots movement for it.
WELLSTONE: I think people care. The Catch-22 problem is that people don't think it's going to happen. They feel absolutely disempowered about this, and therefore, there isn't nearly the amount of grassroots activism you need for the pressure external to this Congress, the mode of power, to make the changes that we need. So you know, we're not even going to be able to pass a quarter of a loaf of a bread, which is the McCain-Feingold bill.

I introduced this Clean Money/Clean Election option with John Kerry (D, MA) and then we got some other people to join us. They passed it in Maine, they passed it in Vermont. They've got initiatives in Washington and Massachusetts and Missouri. They're going to pass this in a lot of states. And I think it's more populist. It basically gets all the private money out. It's public financing. Just set up a dean election fund. And I think it offers a better chance for change because the pressure's going to bubble up from the work that we can do at the state level, and then put the pressure back here in Washington.

http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1548/n1_v13/20430917/p5/article.jhtml?term=



John Kerry is clearly reaching out to the progressive movement that he has championed during 30 years of public services.

Progressive are called on to make a choice this year. Join John Kerry to ignite a true state to state grassroots effort for change; OR continue to criticize him for any and all of his centrists positions and blame him for working with the system without their help.

[AP]

1. How did they feel about mortgaging mansions for campaign money and

ignoring the public financing system?

[WiseMen]

8. This was force by Dean refusal to stick to the primary or state limits

[KittyWampus]

9. Even Edwards Spent More Than Legally Allowed In NH

[WiseMen]

11. They had all pledged to jointly keep to limits. Then Dean Broke

pledge and was outspending Kerry 3 to 1. Kerry was forced to
also leave the system.

[Larkspur]

29. Dean opted out of spending limits with his supporters permission

and Kerry opted out in the cowardly fashion of waiting to see what Dean did first.

In a 10 person race, if the serious candidates had all stuck within spending limits, they'd all have be sitting home after NH and for the rest of the Primary season twiddling their thumbs because they wouldn't be able to campaign due to limits.

Be realistic! There was no logical way for any of the serious candidates to stay withing spending limits in a 10 person race.

I don't have a problem with how much candidates spend. I have a problem with how candidates raise their funds. That is what campaign finance reform needs to concentrate on because plutocratic methods, like Kerry's mortgaging his mansion, or selling legislation for money, like Bush does, are what keeps qualified middle and lower class people from running for office. Spending limits don't address the financing of campaigns, which is where the corruption is. The spending should not be limited. How funds are raised should be.

[blm]

14. AP...is that you?

If it wasn't for Kerry doing that, Dean would likely have won Iowa with Edwards a third or fourth, which would have altered the entire dynamic of the campaign.

I'm sure you realize that in your heart of hearts.

[Padraig18]

2. Oh goody--- another 'link Wellstone to Kerry' GHOUL post!

:puke:

[JHBowden]

12. "I'm HD, and I represent the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party!"

:dunce:

[bigtree]

17. You don't seem to have any problem using Paul to bash Kerry here.

They were friends. Both Paul and his wife. He would not tear at John Kerry like you have. You are blurring his memory to exclude and denigrate his relationship with Kerry. Talk about a ghoul post!

[WiseMen]

27. Thank for comment. Sad that perception among some are so far from reality

[Cuban_Liberal]

28. Nice 2-day kick. n/t

[Raya]

18. Have we had enough of PERSONAL ATTACKS. Please.

[EXE619K]

3. Comparing Kerry to Wellstone?

LOL!

I've worked in Wellstone Campaigns since his days in Carleton.

That's rich!

:D

[WiseMen]

10. Here are some links to show how much they were linked

I post here some links to show that these guys collaborated. If you are close with former Wellstone senate staff you can check with them.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Back in 1999, I got a Wellstone for President T-Shirt. It is deep forest green. I wear it around the house because it reminds me of a time when we had a lot of hope that the climb toward truly progressive democracy (as opposed to capitalism masquerading as democracy)was imminent.
We used to see Paul Wellstone around our neighborhood. He was completely approachable and always seemed aware and present.
When I was first dating my husband (he has worked for various Senators over the years), I asked him if any of these guys were honest, in his opinion.
"Two," he said. "Paul Wellstone and John Kerry."
I believe that climb toward truly progressive and participatory democracy is imminent again.
That's why I'm here.
Posted by Karen at October 24, 2003 08:06 PM

http://www.blog.johnkerry.com/cgi-bin/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=542


The money raised by progressive women in Hollywood could never compete with that offered up by the special interests. Also, the pool of politicians whom the committee could in good conscience support was shrinking out of sight. And some closest to the group, like Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and Paul Wellstone, refused to take money from any PAC.

http://www.robertscheer.com/1_natcolumn/97_columns/041597.htm



The New Republic 2 May 2002 at 8:57:37 AM
http://www.thenewrepublic.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020506&s=editorial050602
Green Blues
by the Editors
Post date: 04.30.02
Issue date: 05.06.02
In an April 19 New York Times photo, John Kerry and Paul Wellstone high-five as if they've just won the Super Bowl; various staffers and environmental lobbyists look on, clapping. The victory party was to celebrate last week's defeat of the Bush administration's plan for exploratory oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The defeat was happy news for Kerry's presidential prospects, for green fund-raising, and for Democratic political positioning in the 2002 congressional campaign. But it was bad news for the nation.

http://www.free-market.net/forums/environment9906/messages/478562974.html





Gore could benefit if too many liberals crowd the Democratic primary field. The candidacies of Senators Paul Wellstone and John Kerry would pare Gephardt's support.

http://www-tech.mit.edu/V117/N68/ring.68c.html



A few passionate Democrats — Russ Feingold, Dennis Kucinich, Paul Wellstone and John Kerry, and (finally!) Al Gore and Ted Kennedy — along with a handful of Republicans including Chuck Hagel and Dick Armey (!) have been audibly remonstrating with the administration.

http://www.democracycollaborative.org/publications/books/barber2.html

[Sensitivity]

13. I like the VISION THING. What wrong with reminding us of the shared vision

[blm]

16. Then you know that Kerry has the closest liberal rating to Wellstone of

all the candidates.

They also worked together on veterans' healthcare issues. But, you must know that already.

[andym]

4. Does Kerry still endorse this bill?

If so, it's an impressive bill, which goes way beyond any election reform idea put forth this year. Even beyond Dean's 250 max per donor idea, which has its roots in J. Brown's 100/donor restriction actually employed by Brown in 1992.

[blm]

19. Kerry plans to use the bully pulpit as president to push it through.

He has advocated for public finance since 1985.

Kerry as president will sell it to the country.

[Raya]

20. This will be a great topic for MeetUp. Thanks

I think it is time to focus on grassroots work toward the GE.

[revcarol]

5. Just collect $$millions from $2000 a plate dinners at fancy hotels,

blow it all, mortgage one of your mansions, beg for donors to fight the evil grass-roots campaigns, and you, too can have a grass-roots campaign like Wellstone.

IGNORE BUTTON ON.

[Raya]

21. This is not true. Why are you saying this. I have been to fundraisers

and it was not at all fancy and donation was voluntary.

[wal]

6. Kerry is honest.

I'm pleased to see that Kerry and Wellstone worked together.
I'm sure that they would have got on well, and the work they were doing shows their love of America.
The hardest thing for Americans is to have faith in their politicians - I believe kerry deserves that faith.
Dennis Kucinich is the man to replace Paul Wellstone as Kerry's running mate.

[WiseMen]

7. Detractors; Just Google combinations of Kerry Dean Kucinich with Wellstone

That will be informative.

[lurk_no_more]

15. Kerry and Wellstone

The next President of the United States and the "ONLY real Democrat from the Democratic wing of the Democrat Party"!!



And then there were none!
” JAFO”

[WiseMen]

22. What a beautiful thought. A truly good man, winning the Presidency.

[Cheswick2.0]

23. There is nothing "grassroots" about Kerry

He's the corporate candidate and has nothing at all in common with Paul Wellstone.

[WiseMen]

25. Kerry has never taken Corporate money for his campaign. 18 years=$0

[rhite5]

32. I do not believe that statement is true. Check it out.

Several recent articles have shown hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kerry from pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies. How come this does not count?

Nevermind. I know now. He has a separate PAC called his "legal defense fund" or something like that. That is where the corporate money goes. Just a little wiggle with the rules.

[WiseMen]

33. No. These are Bogus stories using the public individual donor info

These stories use the already discredited tactic of tabulating
all the individual donations from individuals working in
certain job or industry categories (this information is required
as part of fundraising under the finance limits which Kerry has
followed.

Because Kerry used only individual donations max=$1000 (changed to
$2000 recently) his total for individual donations is more than
for someone who was funded by large PAC funds (which are not included
in the industry tabulations). Kerry's donations over 18 years have
averaged $77 per person per campaign.

[George_Bonanza]

30. Do not use "corporate" so loosely

Just because you do not like somebody, or that another candidate seems to be more popular than yours, doesn't not make them a "corporate" candidate. All that bunk about special interests has been put down by the likes of Public Citizen. Kerry has chaired the Small Business Committee and has been one of the few PAC-free candidates in the Senate. Corporate indeed...

[quaker bill]

24. I will try it again, Kerry is not progressive

Kerry is a bit more progressive than Bush*, but then so was Nixon. (Note: Nixon passed the Clean Water Act and started the EPA, I believe he was for universal health care too.)

I am sorry, but Kerry couldn't ignite a progressive grassroots movement with a blowtorch.

Progressives offered their inspiration and wisdom to Kerry and he voted for IWR anyway. Better yet, he locked them out of his office.

Kerry's "Progressive Internationalism" states that liberals and progressives make "no meaningful contribution" to the debate on foriegn policy. Why then should we want to make a meaningful contribution to his campaign?

[WiseMen]

26. What is your definition of progressive? What rating exists that you like?

[Larkspur]

31. Yet, it was Dean, not Kerry who demonstrated that campaign finance

reform could work in practice, and Sen. Wellstone would have supported Dean's financing method over Kerry's, who got most of his funds from $2,000 donors, a transfer of $2 mil from his senate war chest, and of course, his $6.4 million mansion mortgage.

Dean's campaign fundraising chart showed that over 75% of his funds were from small donors. 13% were from $2,000 donors. That is what Wellstone would have championed in regards to campaign fundraising. Dean's method made the average citizen Dean's special interest. Kerry doesn't give a damn about average Americans and that is why Kerry could not match Dean in the fundraising battle last year.

Dean, not Kerry, was the true disciple of Wellstone in regards to campaign finance reform because Dean was dependent upon average Americans donating and that is how Wellstone thought that politics could be cleaned up. Wellstone would also have applauded Dean for getting people, who had never been involved in politics before, excited about politics. Kerry along with Gephardt and the media, who are helping fund Kerry's campaign, had to use dirty tricks to help bring Dean down in Iowa. That Wellstone would not have supported.