Democrats Flex Power by Taking Aim at Money in Politics

Flexing their new majority, Democrats are moving to push through the House a comprehensive elections and ethics reform package they say will reduce the role of big money in politics, ensure fair elections and restore ethics and integrity to Washington. The legislation, called H.R. 1 to signify its importance, would make it easier to register and vote, tighten election security and require presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns…. “The public is smart enough to know that where you get your money, that’s where you get your marching orders,” said Rep. John Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat who is the bill’s main author. “The public is saying, ‘Build a system of financing campaigns that we own and we’re in charge of,’ not the insiders and the lobbyists,” Sarbanes said in an interview. “We want to set it up so the public gives us our marching orders….” “A lot of interests that pay for campaigns now are the same ones that lean on the policy-making machine in Washington,” Sarbanes said. “If they do something wrong, then that’s the perfect place to go for money to empower everyday Americans to construct a new system that gets out from under their influence.” This bill allows “everyday Americans to become power brokers” with small contributions of $50 or $75 that will be matched at a 6-to-1 rate by the government, he said…. Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico is expected to propose a companion bill next week. The bill has drawn favorable responses from all six senators seeking the Democratic nomination for president, a fact Sarbanes said highlights its importance.... “This has an opportunity to become the defining brand of the Democratic Party,” he said. “We are the party that stands for reform. We are the ones fighting to protect democracy and end corruption. That’s a message we can lean on” in 2020.