Content deleted Content added
Citation bot (talk | contribs) Added date. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Лисан аль-Гаиб | Category:Electoral reform groups in the United States | #UCB_Category 12/14 |
|||
(30 intermediate revisions by 25 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{Short description|Watchdog group advocating government reform}}
{{other uses|Common Cause (disambiguation)}}
Line 9 ⟶ 10:
| area_served = United States
| origins =
| key_people =
| focus =
| method = Advocacy
Line 18 ⟶ 19:
| owner =
| Non-profit_slogan =
| homepage = {{url|commoncause
| dissolved =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Common Cause''' is a watchdog group based in [[Washington, D.C.]], with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by [[John W. Gardner]], a Republican, who was the
Sometimes identified as liberal-leaning,<ref>Dan Eggen, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/21/AR2011032104688.html Pompeo draws liberal groups' ire], ''The Washington Post'' (March 21, 2011): "Common Cause, a liberal-leaning group"</ref><ref name="BykowiczAP2016">Julie Bykowicz, [http://bigstory.ap.org/article/3873292a17b244b8ba2471ee76ec16a0/will-washington-shout-down-voice-trump-voters Will Washington shout down the 'voice' of Trump voters?], Associated Press (November 28, 2016): "a liberal-leaning government watchdog."</ref> Common Cause has also been identified as nonpartisan and advocates government reform.<ref>Stacy Stowe, [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/19/nyregion/backburner-issues-too-hot-to-handle.html Back-Burner Issues Too Hot to Handle], ''The New York Times'' (June 19, 2005): "government-reform groups like Common Cause"</ref><ref>Mark Berman, William Wan & Sari Horwitz, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/11/08/election-day-voters-report-long-lines-intimidation-and-confusion-in-some-parts-of-the-country/ Voters encounter some malfunctioning machines, other headaches on Election Day]: "Volunteers with Common Cause, a nonpartisan government reform group..."</ref><ref>Jamie Pimlott, "Common Cause" in ''Encyclopedia of American Political Parties and Elections'' (updated ed.: ed. Larry J. Sabato & Howard R. Ernst). Infobase Publishing, 2007, p. 75: "established as a nonpartisan citizens' lobby, the main goal of the Soros funded organization is to make government more effective and representative of progressive interests. .... because the organization claims to be nonpartisan, it does take a progressive agenda position on issues and focuses on the process by which decisions are made or the structure of decision making, that is, the rules and procedures used by politicians and bureaucrats."</ref> It is identified with the reformist "[[Good Government Organizations (United States)|good government]]" movement<ref>Dan Eggen, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/09/AR2011020906679.html Common Cause suddenly uncommonly forceful in fighting Koch Industries], ''The Washington Post'' (February 10, 2011): "Common cause has long been something of a nerd among the jocks. ... the 40-year-old good-government group."</ref><ref>William Neuman, [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/21/nyregion/city-council-state-lawmakers.html?_r=0 City Council Draws New Crop of Candidates: State Lawmakers. (Pay Doesn't Hurt.)], ''The New York Times'' (February 21, 2017): "Common Cause New York, a good government advocacy group"</ref><ref>Dean E. Murphy, [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/10/us/ohio-critics-of-gop-start-battle-to-change-election-process.html Ohio Critics of G.O.P. Start Battle to Change Election Process], ''The New York Times'' (August 10, 2005): "The Ohio group is backed by so-called good-government organizations like Common Cause."</ref> and is often described as a [[watchdog group]].<ref name="BykowiczAP2016"/><ref>Daniel L. Feldman & David R. Eichenthal, ''The Art of the Watchdog: Fighting Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Corruption in Government'' ([[SUNY Press]], 2013): "Common Cause: One of the largest and most influential good government watchdog groups..."</ref> The organization's tagline is "holding power accountable" and its stated mission is "upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commoncause.org/about|title=About Us|publisher=Common Cause|
==Issue areas==
The organization's stated issue areas are "money in politics", "voting and elections", "ethics", "a fair economy", and "media and democracy".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commoncause.org/issues|title=Common Cause/Issues|website=Common Cause|
===Constitutional conventions===
Common Cause opposes and actively lobbies against modern-day efforts to call an [[Article Five of the United States Constitution|Article V]] convention to propose [[amendments to the United States Constitution]] by both [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive]] and conservative groups, such as that by the progressive [[political action committee]] [[Wolf PAC]] to limit large monetary donations to political candidates parties and groups,<ref name=":1" /> and by the conservative advocacy group [[Citizens for Self-Governance]]'s "Convention of the States" initiative,<ref name="BigMoneyCC">[http://www.commoncause.org/issues/more-democracy-reforms/constitutional-convention/dangerous-path-report.pdf The Dangerous Path: Big Money's Plan to Shred the Constitution], Common Cause (May 2016).</ref> which is backed by some Republican politicians.<ref name="Moritz">John C. Moritz, [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/texas/state-bureau/2016/12/06/abbott-renews-his-call-convention-states/95032860/ Abbott renews his call for 'convention of the states'], ''USA Today'' Network (December 6, 2016).</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://tpr.org/post/texas-matters-gov-abbott-backs-convention-states-rewrite-us-constitution#stream/0|title=Texas Matters: Gov. Abbott Backs Convention Of States To Rewrite U.S. Constitution|last=Davies|first=David Martin|access-date=2017-02-16}}</ref>
In a May 2016 report entitled ''The Dangerous Path: Big Money's Plan to Shred the Constitution'', Common Cause wrote that "There is nothing to prevent the convention, once convened, from proposing additional changes that could limit or eliminate fundamental rights or upend our entire system of government."<ref name="Moritz" /><ref name="BigMoneyCC" /><ref>{{Cite press release|url=http://www.commoncause.org/press/press-releases/on-the-brink-of-a-constitutional-crisis.html|title=On the Brink of a Constitutional Crisis|publisher=Common Cause|date=December 2, 2015}}</ref> While a constitutional convention could conceivably overturn the controversial [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] decision in ''[[Citizens United v. FEC]]'' and limit the role of money in politics (as advocated by groups such as [[Wolf PAC]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHT4J7b3TCQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/YHT4J7b3TCQ |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=How ''Common Cause'' Turned on Americans Fighting Against Corruption|website=[[YouTube]]|date=6 April 2017 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Common Cause suggests that the risk of a [[Constituent assembly#Legislative restrictions surpassed|runaway convention]] is too great<ref name=":1">{{cite press release|title=Young Turks Attack on Common Cause Ignores Danger of New Constitutional Convention: Statement by Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn|url=http://www.commoncause.org/press/press-releases/young-turks-attack-on-common.html| ===Ethics===
Common Cause lobbied Congress to pass the [[Ethics in Government Act]] of 1978, requiring government officials to disclose their finances and restricting the "[[Revolving door (politics)#United States|revolving door]]" between government and business. In 1989, they lobbied for passage of a new Ethics in Government Act, which ended special-interest honoraria for members of Congress and closed a loophole that allowed members to convert campaign funds to personal use.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.commoncause.org/about/our-impact/our-history|title=Timeline|website=Common Cause|access-date=2017-02-03}}</ref>
The organization's efforts led to ethics probes and the resignations of [[Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines|House Speakers]] [[Jim Wright]] in 1988<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jackson|first1=Robert|title=The Resignation Of Jim Wright : Speaker's Downfall|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1989-06-01/news/mn-1334_1_public-man-ethics-committee-official-conduct|
During the 2016 presidential elections, Common Cause suggested that the [[Clinton Foundation]] would create ethics and conflict of interest challenges for [[Hillary Clinton]] should she become president.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Douglas & Kumar|title=Why the Clinton Foundation and foreign money are an issue|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article85253837.html|
The public interest group also criticized [[Donald Trump]] ===Money in politics===
In 1972, Common Cause sued President [[Richard Nixon]]'s re-election campaign, the [[Committee for the Re-Election of the President]], under the [[Federal Corrupt Practices Act]] in an attempt to force Nixon's campaign to report early campaign contributions.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=19730314&id=nxozAAAAIBAJ
==== Publicly-financed elections ====
Common Cause has advocated
===Voting and elections===
==== Redistricting ====
The organization has sought to end the practice of [[gerrymandering]] in several states.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commoncause.org/issues/voting-and-elections/redistricting/|title=Redistricting|publisher=Common Cause|
==== Voting machines ====
Common Cause advocates
==== National popular vote ====
Common Cause is in favor of establishing a national [[Direct election|popular vote]] for presidential elections to replace the current [[United States electoral college|electoral college]] system.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Richie|first1=Rob|title=National Popular Vote: A Win for Our Democracy in Massachusetts|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rob-richie/national-popular-vote-a-w_b_672594.html|
==== Voter identification ====
Common Cause is partner organization of [[VoteRiders]].<ref>[https://www.voteriders.org/partners/ VoteRiders Partner Organizations]</ref>
==Organizational overview==
===Leadership===
Karen Hobert Flynn became the organization's president in June 2016. She served in this role until her death in March 2023.<ref name=courant>{{cite news|title=Common Cause Taps Former Connecticut Director As National President|url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-karen-hobert-flynn-common-cause-president-20160613-story.html|
The following individuals have served as president of Common Cause:
Line 71 ⟶ 77:
*[[Scott Harshbarger]] (1999–2002)—served as [[Massachusetts Attorney General]] before becoming Common Cause president<ref name="Harshbarger"/><ref>Jon Chesto, [https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/11/16/former-mass-scott-harshbarger-moves-local-law-firm/CavQO85S4pJqdnkig1RwaK/story.html Former Mass. AG Scott Harshbarger moves to local law firm], ''Boston Globe'' (November 16, 2015).</ref>
*[[Chellie Pingree]] (2003–2007)—after stepping down as president of Common Cause, was elected as U.S. Representative from Maine<ref>[https://pingree.house.gov/about-chellie About Chellie] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907011626/https://pingree.house.gov/about-chellie |date=2016-09-07 }}, Office of Chellie Pingree, U.S. Representative, First District of Maine.</ref>
*[[Robert W. Edgar|Robert W. (Bob) Edgar]] (2007–2013)—served as [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] U.S. Representative from [[Pennsylvania]] before becoming president of Common Cause; died in office in April 2013<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4773613&ct=13090265 |title=Common Cause President Bob Edgar Dies at 69 |work=Common Cause |date=April 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427050614/https://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4773613&ct=13090265 |archive-date=April 27, 2013 |
*[[Miles S. Rapoport]] (2014–2016)—was president of [[Demos (U.S. think tank)|Demos]] and Secretary of State of Connecticut before becoming president of Common Cause<ref name="Hobert"/><ref name="Pazniokas">Mark Pazniokas, [http://ctmirror.org/2014/01/14/miles-rapoport-named-national-president-common-cause/ Miles Rapoport named national president of Common Cause], ''Connecticut Mirror'' (January 14, 2014).</ref><ref>[http://www.demos.org/press-release/president-miles-rapoport-leaving-demos-lead-common-cause President Miles Rapoport Leaving Demos To Lead Common Cause], Demos (January 14, 2014).</ref>
*Karen Hobert Flynn (2016–2023)<ref name=courant/>—died in office in March 2023<ref name=flynn>{{Cite web |last=Pazniokas |first=Mark |date=2023-03-03 |title=Karen Hobert Flynn, Common Cause leader and CT reformer, dies |url=http://ctmirror.org/2023/03/03/karen-hobert-flynn-common-cause-leader-and-ct-reformer-dies/ |access-date=2023-03-05 |website=CT Mirror |language=en-US}}</ref>
The following are three of the most prominent individuals who have served as chairs of Common Cause's board:
Line 81 ⟶ 87:
=== Funding ===
Common Cause has an annual combined budget of around $18 million. This includes its sister organization, the Common Cause Educational Fund.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=Financials|work=Common Cause Education Fund|url=https://www.commoncause.org/education-fund/about-us/financials/|access-date=2018-05-06}}</ref> '''Common Cause''' is organized as a [[501(c)4|501(c)(4) organization]], and its sister organization, the '''Common Cause Educational Fund''', is a [[501(c)(3) organization]].<ref name=":0" />
==See also==
*''[[Rucho v. Common Cause]]'', a 2019 [[List of landmark court decisions in the United States|landmark case]] of the [[Supreme Court of the United States|US Supreme Court]] involving Common Cause
== References ==
Line 90 ⟶ 96:
== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.commoncause.org/}}
* [http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/1c18df779 Common Cause Records (
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1970 establishments in the United States]]▼
[[Category:Electoral reform groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Government watchdog groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1970]]
[[Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States]]
▲[[Category:1970 establishments in the United States]]
|