The Reform Project
When I was doing the layout for this site, I ran into physical constraints with the template for the home page. I am only allowed 4 columns on the main page for the various groups. I used the first column for the flight – that left three, to the right, which I used for Rootstrikers, WolfPac and Represent.US. The Reform Project is listed on the menu of reform groups and it’s only out of necessity that I could not squeeze another column. The Reform Project got a tab to this page and menu listing with the other groups, which was all I can do. The menu is on the right – click on The Reform Project to get to that site. I sincerely hope Governor Roemer won’t feel slighted.
Buddy Roemer started The Reform Project. He’s the former governor of LA, and a former GOP candidate for President. He was one of the speakers in San Francisco at a conference hosted by Rootstrikers. The conference attracted an audience from all over the US – Mike Shanahan and I drove from Florida to attend. However, I don’t think I’d be wrong to say that the California site attracted a mostly liberal audience though reform is neither a liberal nor conservative issue.
Before the conference, I knew very little about the banker, X-governor, republican past presidential contender. I’m a democrat and I was prepared to be underwhelmed and determined to be polite – the ‘Conference to Save the Republic’ was not a venue to show partisanship and certainly not mean-spirited partisanship. I hoped the San Francisco liberals were going to be politically mature enough not to, well, not be ugly.
I was wrong about everything. Buddy wowed the audience and the audience gave him their enthusiastic approval. Nobody in the conference talked about issues – the purpose of the conference was to address corruption. I can’t tell you where Buddy stands on abortion or gay rights or school prayer. I can tell you he’s tuned in to democracy – what it should be – what it’s not – and specifically how money in politics corrupts what democracy should be. He ‘gets’ it and he’s a great communicator of the message.
I’m probably not supposed to give out any spoilers. (I wish everyone, particularly liberals, could hear him speak live.) Buddy campaigned for President and a big, perhaps central, part of his platform was honesty, He wasn’t going to sell out as part of the process of campaigning. Naturally every candidate will claim he’s independent of the groups who finance his political bid (and that’s a load or crap, regardless of party) but Buddy backed up his claim. He refused to acceptANY PAC money. He set a limit of how much any individual can contribute to his campaign. (I seem to remember $100 – it was way less than the $2500 limit that existed then.)
Critics will tell you that Buddy’s campaign didn’t get off the ground. Not true. You never saw him on any of the presidential debates – that is true. The GOP committee that ran the debates froze him out. Buddy showed that he had a huge following and the campaign chest was growing, all from small contributions. As the debate schedule unfolded, his campaign grew and the GOP kept moving the goal posts to keep him off the air. The media dismissed his campaign – a media block, with the party shutting Buddy out, forced the campaign to fold. The campaign was in no way a failure.
Buddy proved what will happen if you try to run an honest campaign. Voters will respond but the party and the media will kill your bid for office. It’s not hypothetical – Governor Roemer proved it. My appraisal of events is not an indictment of the GOP. So far, no democrat in my lifetime, (and I am 61 years old) has run for office with the integrity of Governor Roemer – committing exclusively to small individual campaign donations. The score on honesty here is republicans – 1 and democrats – 0. Even more noteworthy is the voter response from republicans in support of an honest candidate. Liberals tend to think this is their issue, but it resonates with conservative voters just as much.
Campaign Finance Reform is the key to an honest government. No one can explain that better than Governor Roemer. He has some solid proposals on campaign finance reform – that’s his strong suit and I won’t try to steal his wind. Ask him.
You are a real American that has risked your life for liberty. My motivator someone I trust and will support.
Good for Mr. Roemer. Now it’s up to us to use this insight he gave us and do something. Maybe we could show the democratic and republican parties to be treasonous, and have them banned. After all, how bad does it have to get?
The political parties have a function that’s out of proportion. More on that later.
GREAT JOB! Civil disobedience is the next step..
God bless you sir! I stand with you, Evil thrives when Good Men stand by and do nothing.
Hey Doug;
My name has caused a few inquiries from my former co-workers (and ex-girlfriend), as I am ALSO a postal worker…although retired, and I live in Florida ! And they know or don’t know I am a regional Organizer for Wolf PAC. And of course my answer is “No…it wasn’t a misprint, it IS Doug Hughes. However, I absolutely support his passion and his cause ! ”
You probably know I have to be careful here…except to say THANK YOU !! We will continue our march towards a 28th Amendment, and I personally am emboldened by your courage and your passion !
Yours in Solidarity,
Mike Hughes
“I don’t mind being a grain of sand, as long as I am part of a landslide !” From “Stampede” website
Thanks Mike.
Right on, Doug!!!
DC and elected reps. operate for their own issues. No such thing as a good pol. There has never been a good one. Most can’t get a job in private sector providing the income or benefits awarded. After-life is filled with the payoff representing interests they groomed during their tenure. Ask any pol. what their net worth was on day 1 and then ask what net worth is at end of their career. Al Sharpton Harry Reid, Nancy P, etc. Whores all!
There is nothing so bipartisan as corruption. If you look a little, you can find GOP names for your list. And if you look, you will find pols who have NOT cashed in – look up the net worth of our VP. For decades, he has not been cashing in. A lot of the Tea Party members in the House are NOT selling out. Honesty is also not partisan. There aren’t enough congress-critters who will refuse the K-street gravy train. Shall we change it or moan about it?
To the mailman who flew to the capital building grounds.Your single effort was very courageous and no doubt it not only drew Americas attention but the world community as well.I always believed that our politics was corrupt with all the lobbyist flocking to Washington,but never has it been so blatant “in your face” as it is today.The republicans just won the midterm elections and already they have made changes to the Dodd- Frank bill which was to help keep wall st. in check and help protect the average persons investment.Apparently the republicans did not learn a thing regarding the global financial melt down.Worst the change was in language written by -CITI GROUP.Next they decided to increase candidates contributions 10 fold,making it even easier to further corrupt our Democracy.I have so much more i would like to express but there is not enough room here.The biggest threat to world peace and our Democracy is not from the various terrorists groups,”IT IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ITSELF” and i do believe-perhaps not in my lifetime-but in the younger generation who now better understand the twisted relationship between big business and the corrupt polititians-The republican party will go the way of the dinosaur.Please keep up the important work,We need CAMPAIGN REFORM NOW.Thank you and all PLEASE !! vote DEMOCRAT.Singed,FTR,Marine and combat vet.
Article 5 convention. Let’s get it started with a Constitutional Convention.
When Congress is as bought as it is and a few billionaires have control, whatever Congress passes will otherwise be decimated.
Hillary says “…unaccountable money out of the it once and for all even if it takes a constitutional amendment..” But she could get started on that now. We need to bait her with that.
HRC has made comments about ‘unaccountable money’. Let’s bait the OTHER candidates and see where they stand. When all the surviving candidates agree on that, (or have declared that they favor a corrupt electoral process) let’s take the discussion to the next level. Ambushing the fist candidate who is in favor of reform drives the subject underground.