Kucinich Challenges Dean for Breaking His Word on Campaign Financing
The following is a press pelease from November 6, 2003, by the Kucinich campaign
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Kucinich Challenges Dean for Breaking His Word on Campaign Financing
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2003
Only months after he pledged to remain in the public finance system, Dr. Dean is asking his supporters to vote on whether he should opt out of the system, which was created in response to Watergate and the corruption of the political system by corporate money. Congressman Dennis Kucinich intends to move quickly to reach out to those disaffected Dean backers who supported the former Vermont Governor because they thought he represented a fresh new approach and believed his promise to use public financing.
Kucinich said: "The end of public financing means a tighter grip on the political process by special interests. Howard Dean has called for the people to take back America. His attempt to kill public financing will take back America -- for the corporations. Simply by asking the question, Dr. Dean has broken faith with small donors who saw him as a reformer who claimed to be from the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party. Dean's small donors gave to a candidate who promised to use public funding and who painted himself as the type of person who would never do otherwise. They should ask for their money back. In order to keep pace with Bush's fundraising, Dr. Dean will inevitably rely even more heavily on the corporate interests who are already sponsoring his campaign. [See notes below.]
"Dean has misjudged the most effective way to defeat President Bush: challenging the corporations who control our government with money. By ending his commitment to public financing, Dean unwittingly supports the worst fears of the American people that there's really no difference between Democrats and Republicans on the most critical issues affecting the very nature of our democracy. We all know that the current campaign finance system is not perfect. But the answer is not to roll back three decades of progress and return to pre-Watergate standards."
BACKGROUND:
On March 7, 2003, the Associated Press wrote: "Howard Dean committed Friday to taking taxpayer dollars to finance his presidential campaign.... He promised to make it an issue in the Democratic primaries if any of his rivals decide to skip public financing, as President Bush did en route to winning the Republican nomination in 2000. 'It will be a huge issue,' Dean said. 'I think most Democrats believe in campaign finance reform.'"
UTILITY EXECUTIVES: According to a Feb. 25, 2002, Associated Press article by David Gram, titled "Dean Turns to Utility Executives to Finance New Campaign": "When Gov. Howard Dean wanted to raise money for a possible presidential bid, he followed the example of a former governor of Texas and called on his friends in the energy industry. Nearly a fifth of the roughly $111,000 collected in its first months by Dean's presidential political action committee, the Fund for a Healthy America, came from people with ties to Vermont's electric utilities, according to a recent Federal Elections Commission filing. It should be no surprise. Dean and utility executives have had a long and friendly relationship."
CORPORATE MEDIA: According to Center for Responsive Politcs, the second biggest donor to Dean presidential campaign is AOL/Time Warner executives and employees.
Kucinich said: "Dr. Dean promised to make it a campaign issue if any of his opponents opted out of public funding. I'm making it an issue now. Dr. Dean may feel that he can drag his supporters into agreeing with his preconceived decision because in the end he believes they have no other place to go. Well, he's wrong. Our campaign is reaching out to them. They don't have to give up hope."
WEBSITE FOR FORMER DEAN SUPPORTERS: The Kucinich campaign is creating a new section on its website called "The Dr. is Out".
For more information: http://www.kucinich.us
For Rep. Kucinich's Schedule: http://www.kucinich.us/schedule.htm.
Contact: David Swanson 202-329-7847 swanson@kucinich.us
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