Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rick Hubbard, who is a native Vermonter, retired attorney and former economic consultant now living in South Burlington.
To jump-start efforts to restore our democracy, several Vermonters joined the New Hampshire Rebellion to walk 185 miles, the length of New Hampshire, together with a core group of New Hampshire residents augmented by citizens from many states across America. The walk began on Jan. 10 in Colebrook and ended Jan. 24 in Nashua.
The New Hampshire Rebellion walk is inspired by Granny D, the committed New Hampshire grandmother activist who, at 88, walked across our entire country to focus attention on the corrupting influence of the way money is raised by our Washington politicians.
Among the Vermonters participating are Japhet Els of Burlington, Leif Hunneman of Burlington, Joseph Hartman of North Ferrisburg, Bill Butler and Susan Harritt of Jericho, Mary Stowe of Brattleboro and Rick Bourdon, formerly of Stowe and now living in Lyme, N.H.
Amazingly, every single person I spoke with in New Hampshire between Dixville Notch and Nashua believes our government in Washington no longer properly represents ordinary citizens. Polls show that 96 percent of all Americans believe we must reduce the influence of money in politics and 91 percent think our political system is in need of reform. These are both astounding percentages. This issue completely crosses party lines. We are all adversely affected, whether we are conservative, moderate, liberal or progressive.
Instead of working to solve national problems, congressmen in Washington today spend 30 to 70 percent of their time dialing for dollars, but most of us never receive a phone call. That’s because they focus on only the richest potential donors, about .05 percent of our population. In order to please this tiny percentage of the American electorate, members of Congress subtly shape their positions on legislation to please these donors, at the expense of the vast majority of the rest of us.
Simply put, our current political system is completely corrupted by the influence of huge amounts of special interest campaign contributions that incentivize politicians to tip law, regulation and policy to favor those huge contributors over the interests of ordinary Americans.
It’s not that our representatives, despite a few prominent national exceptions, are corrupt themselves. It’s that the constant pressure of how they must raise money results in a corrupt system that no longer serves the interests of we the people.
Because of New Hampshire’s importance in the presidential primary process over the next three years, the New Hampshire Rebellion seeks to place this issue on our national agenda by encouraging New Hampshire citizens to repeatedly ask the candidates one simple question; “What are YOU going to do to end the system of corruption in DC?”
It adversely affects sensible progress on virtually every important issue in America today, including energy, guns, jobs, budget, defense, immigration, health care, environment and transportation. Polls show Americans rate this issue of ending the system of corruption more heavily than every substantive issue just mentioned above.
Yet we almost never hear about it from our Washington politicians. It’s almost never listed when our representatives in Washington, or news media for that matter, periodically ask us for our thoughts on issues.
Although comprehensive reform of our political system should have many parts, it’s the way campaign money is raised that’s at the root of the systemic corruption. This must be corrected so that federal elections are financed by and on behalf of all Americans, rather than by wealthy special interests
As candidates, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney all completely avoided this issue, despite it’s being so clearly important to 96 percent of all Americans.
Our Vermont congressional delegation is particularly well positioned to lead needed reform. Congressman Peter Welch is sympathetic and Sen. Bernie Sanders regularly speaks out on this issue. Sen. Patrick Leahy, as head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is the most important person in the country to lead on this issue in President Obama’s absence. Unfortunately, Sen. Leahy to date has not chosen to champion bold and comprehensive reform. Early last year he spoke at the Georgetown Law Center and outlined his Judiciary Committee priorities in the next biennium. Comprehensive reform to end the systemic corruption in Washington was completely absent from his priorities. He needs to be encouraged to take up this issue.
While it may be long and difficult, we the 96 percent must find a way to bring about comprehensive change. To do nothing is to accept the massive dysfunction and system of corruption that currently exists.
Because of New Hampshire’s importance in the presidential primary process over the next three years, the New Hampshire Rebellion seeks to place this issue on our national agenda by encouraging New Hampshire citizens to repeatedly ask the candidates one simple question; “What are YOU going to do to end the system of corruption in DC?”
It’s a first step in beginning a national conversation over how to repair our democracy. If a credible presidential candidate can be induced to focus on this issue it will then become part of the debate in the New Hampshire presidential primary and subsequently in our general election.
We declared our independence from Great Britain and founded our country over this issue of lack of appropriate representation. Vermont’s former Gov. Phil Hoff has called this the paramount issue of our time, for it goes to the core of our democracy and representation.
You can be sure we’ll hear more about this in the near future.
