Change Congress
Encyclopedia
Change Congress is an American
organization that aims to end perceived corruption
in the United States Congress
by reducing what it considers the distorted influence of money in that legislative body. Founded by Lawrence Lessig
and Joe Trippi
, Change Congress aims to organize citizens to push candidates to make commitments on the following issues: take no money from lobbyists
or PACs
, vote to end earmarks
, support publicly financed campaigns, and support reform to increase congressional transparency. Since January 9, 2009, Change Congress has been focusing its efforts on promoting citizen-funded elections, mainly through its Donor Strike campaign and support for the Fair Elections Now Act.
in Washington, D.C.
when Lessig held a press conference sponsored by the Sunlight Foundation
.
Lessig had considered a run for Congress in 2008 under the Draft Lessig movement, but decided against it. An exploratory committee and a private pollster determined that there was "no possible way" for Lessig to defeat Jackie Speier
, and that Lessig would lose in a "big way". Lessig conveyed that while he did not fear losing, he did fear that losing would be harmful to effectively displaying the importance of the Change Congress movement.
Change Congress's main aim is what he sees as "institutional corruption" in Congress, as opposed to cases of personal financial corruption and bribery, whereby the influence of money has an uneven, distracting, and detrimental pull on the United States Congress
.
Change Congress operates in three phases: get candidates to embrace the reform platform; build a wiki-based map of reform candidates; and financially support the reformers. The first phase is similar to Lessig's alternative copyright strategy campaign, Creative Commons
. As of January 9, 2009 this three stage strategy has disappeared from the Change Congress website as the site is now dedicated to the Donor Strike campaign. There is no indication whether or not this strategy will be reimplemented or not.
Change Congress became later became Fix Congress First which started a project called Rootstrikers, now a project of the Democracy Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation.
As of January 9, 2009 the citizen and candidate pledge pages and tags are inoperable and no longer exist on the Change Congress website. There has been no indication made by Change Congress as to if or when the pledges will be supported again.
As of January 9, 2009 the candidate tracking feature no longer exist on the Change Congress website. There has been no indication made by Change Congress as to if or when candidate tracking will be available again.
As of January 9, 2009 the political donation feature has been removed from the Change Congress website due to the Donor Strike campaign.
The Donor Strike is an attempt to gain support amongst congressmen for citizen-funded congressional campaigns and in particular the Fair Elections Now Act. By signing up for the strike, supporters pledge "not to donate to any federal candidate unless they support legislation making congressional elections citizen-funded, not special-interest funded." The campaign hopes to strong-arm congressmen into supporting citizen-funded elections by withholding campaign donations.
As of May 28, 2009 Change Congress says it has motivated $1,563,920 in pledged campaign donation withholdings through the Donor Strike, although there is no real way to verify these numbers.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
organization that aims to end perceived corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
by reducing what it considers the distorted influence of money in that legislative body. Founded by Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence "Larry" Lessig is an American academic and political activist. He is best known as a proponent of reduced legal restrictions on copyright, trademark, and radio frequency spectrum, particularly in technology applications, and he has called for state-based activism to promote substantive...
and Joe Trippi
Joe Trippi
Joe Trippi is a long-time American Democratic campaign worker and consultant. A mainstay in presidential politics, Trippi has worked on the presidential campaigns of Edward Kennedy, Walter Mondale, Gary Hart, Dick Gephardt, Jerry Brown and most recently John Edwards...
, Change Congress aims to organize citizens to push candidates to make commitments on the following issues: take no money from lobbyists
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
or PACs
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
, vote to end earmarks
Earmark (politics)
In United States politics, an earmark is a legislative provision that directs approved funds to be spent on specific projects, or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees...
, support publicly financed campaigns, and support reform to increase congressional transparency. Since January 9, 2009, Change Congress has been focusing its efforts on promoting citizen-funded elections, mainly through its Donor Strike campaign and support for the Fair Elections Now Act.
History
Change Congress was officially launched on March 20, 2008 at the National Press ClubNational Press Club
The National Press Club is a professional organization and private social club for journalists. It is located in Washington, D.C. Its membership consists of journalists, former journalists, government information officers, and those considered to be regular news sources. It is well-known for its...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
when Lessig held a press conference sponsored by the Sunlight Foundation
Sunlight Foundation
The Sunlight Foundation is a 501 educational organization founded in April 2006 with the goal of increasing transparency and accountability in the United States government....
.
Lessig had considered a run for Congress in 2008 under the Draft Lessig movement, but decided against it. An exploratory committee and a private pollster determined that there was "no possible way" for Lessig to defeat Jackie Speier
Jackie Speier
Karen Lorraine Jacqueline "Jackie" Speier is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2008. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and the southwest quarter of San Francisco.She is also a former member of the California State...
, and that Lessig would lose in a "big way". Lessig conveyed that while he did not fear losing, he did fear that losing would be harmful to effectively displaying the importance of the Change Congress movement.
Change Congress's main aim is what he sees as "institutional corruption" in Congress, as opposed to cases of personal financial corruption and bribery, whereby the influence of money has an uneven, distracting, and detrimental pull on the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
Change Congress operates in three phases: get candidates to embrace the reform platform; build a wiki-based map of reform candidates; and financially support the reformers. The first phase is similar to Lessig's alternative copyright strategy campaign, Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
. As of January 9, 2009 this three stage strategy has disappeared from the Change Congress website as the site is now dedicated to the Donor Strike campaign. There is no indication whether or not this strategy will be reimplemented or not.
Change Congress became later became Fix Congress First which started a project called Rootstrikers, now a project of the Democracy Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation.
Pledge
Citizens are able to get a badge that customizes which Change Congress causes they support. They are then given code so that they can place their pledge on their own website. Candidates are given the same choice. Change Congress' website mentions plans to compile an ongoing list of citizens and candidates, and which cause(s) they support.As of January 9, 2009 the citizen and candidate pledge pages and tags are inoperable and no longer exist on the Change Congress website. There has been no indication made by Change Congress as to if or when the pledges will be supported again.
Tracking candidates
Change Congress hopes to use volunteers to create a comprehensive list of members of Congress and where they stand on issues of lobbyists, earmarks, public financing, and increased transparency in government.As of January 9, 2009 the candidate tracking feature no longer exist on the Change Congress website. There has been no indication made by Change Congress as to if or when candidate tracking will be available again.
Political donations
Change Congress also hopes to change citizens' campaign contribution habits by giving people the option of only supporting candidates who pledge to honor some or all of Change Congress' pledge commitments.As of January 9, 2009 the political donation feature has been removed from the Change Congress website due to the Donor Strike campaign.
Donor Strike
On January 8, 2009, Lessig appeared on the The Colbert Report, and the following day Change Congress announced the Donor Strike.The Donor Strike is an attempt to gain support amongst congressmen for citizen-funded congressional campaigns and in particular the Fair Elections Now Act. By signing up for the strike, supporters pledge "not to donate to any federal candidate unless they support legislation making congressional elections citizen-funded, not special-interest funded." The campaign hopes to strong-arm congressmen into supporting citizen-funded elections by withholding campaign donations.
As of May 28, 2009 Change Congress says it has motivated $1,563,920 in pledged campaign donation withholdings through the Donor Strike, although there is no real way to verify these numbers.