SENATOR
KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND FROM NEW YORK.
IF I AM BEING HONEST AND
THAT IS WHAT WE DO HERE, SHE HAS BEEN MORE ON THE ESTABLISHMENT
WING OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
WE BELIEVE THAT SHE IS LIKELY TO
RUN IN 2020 FOR PRESIDENT.
SO TODAY, SHE CAME OUT WITH A
DRAMATIC ANNOUNCEMENT AND IT REALLY IS DRAMATIC.
AND I WOULD
ARGUE THAT IT IS EVEN MAY BE A HARBINGER OF A CREED
SEACHANGE IN DEMOCRATIC POLICY.
I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU WHAT IT IS AND THEN I WILL SAY THE
CONSEQUENCES AND WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT.
BECAUSE OF CORPORATE MONEY IN POLITICS I'VE DECIDED FROM THIS
POINT ON I AM NO LONGER ACCEPTING CORPORATE PAC CHECKS
INTO MY CAMPAIGN.
SO ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I AM SO CONCERNED
ABOUT MONEY IN POLITICS IS BECAUSE OF THE SUPREME COURT
DECISION CITIZENS UNITED.
WE HAVE A SYSTEM WHERE CORPORATIONS
CAN SPEND UNLIMITED MONEY THAT ISN'T EVEN DISCLOSED SO THERE'S
NO TRANSPARENCY.
SINCE I WAS UP FOR ELECTION IN 2006
I'VE MADE IT MY MISSION TO CREATE MORE TRANSPARENCY
AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN CONGRESS AND SO I WAS THE FIRST
MEMBER OF CONGRESS TO ACTUALLY POST MY SCHEDULE, MY EARMARK
REQUESTS, AND MY FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE ONLINE AND HAVE
SINCE ADDED TO THAT MY TAXES SO I HOPE YOU WILL STAND WITH ME.
WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT WE CAN TO GET RID OF
THE CORPORATE MONEY AND DARK MONEY THAT IS FLOWING INTO
POLITICS IN MY EFFORTS TO BAN CORPORATE PAC CHECKS IS
JUST A FIRST STEP IN THAT DIRECTION.
THAT IS A GIANT DEAL.
IT STARTED A LITTLE BIT OF IT AT A
TIME AND THERE WERE A LOT OF US WHO WERE SAYING CORPORATE PACK
MONEY IS CORRUPTING AND THOSE ARE TRUE BLUE PROGRESSIVES WHO
WERE SAYING THAT AND THEN SOME CONGRESSMAN STARTED SAYING YOU
KNOW WHAT?
I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE CORPORATE PACK MONEY ANYMORE.
AND THEN IT GREW AND GREW.
THERE IS A SEPARATE WING OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY CALLED THE JUSTICE DEMOCRATS.
NONE OF THEM
ARE ALLOWED TO TAKE CORPORATE PAC MONEY.
THERE'S NOT 51
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT ARE ALL JUSTICE
DEMOCRATS ON TAKING CORPORATE PACK MONEY AND THEN MORE
INCUMBENTS.
IN THE SENATE, ELIZABETH WARREN, NO CORPORATE
PACK MONEY AND NOW GILLIBRAND.
WHAT MOST PEOPLE IN POLITICS
WOULD CONSIDER BEDROCK ESTABLISHMENT DEMOCRAT NOW
SAYING NO MORE CORPORATE PACK MONEY.
I HAVE A SENSE THAT SOME
PROGRESSIVES WILL BE SKEPTICAL AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE FULL
CONTEXT HERE IN A SECOND, BUT KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE ONE.
WE ARE
NOWHERE NEAR GETTING MONEY OUT OF POLITICS.
WE HAVE A VERY
LONG ROAD TO GO BUT WHEN SOMEONE COMES TO YOUR SIDE, FOR GOD'S
SAKES, CELEBRATE AND REWARD IT AND FEEL GREAT ABOUT IT.
IF YOU
HAD ASKED ME IF SENATOR GILLIBRAND WAS NOT GOING TO TAKE
CORPORATE PAC MONEY A YEAR AGO I WOULD HAVE SAID NO WAY SHE IS
GOING TO DO THAT BUT HERE SHE IS.
IF YOU THINK IT'S BECAUSE
SHE WANTS TO WIN IN 2020, GREAT.
YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?
THAT
MEANS PEOPLE AS SAVVY AS SHE IS HAVING REALIZED THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY IS ACTUALLY PROGRESSIVE.
IF I WANT TO GET THOSE VOTERS
THERE IS NO MORE TRICKS OR ADS I CAN BUY, I HAVE TO STOP TAKING
THE CORPORATE MONEY.
THAT IS WONDERFUL.
HERE IS MORE CONTEXT
FROM ROLLCALL:
SHE IS STILL TAKING SOME PAC
MONEY, LET'S EXPLAIN.
THIS IS
MORE CONTEXT.
THE OVERWHELMING AMOUNT WAS CORPORATE PACK MONEY BUT SHE IS
PUTTING THAT ASIDE SAYING I DO NOT WANT IT.
SHE THING I CANNOT
PRAISE IT ENOUGH.
BARACK OBAMA SAID THAT HE WAS FOR CHANGE.
TO
ME CHANGE IS SYSTEMIC CHANGE.
WHEN YOU CHANGE THE SYSTEM,
CHANGE THE RULES.
WHY DO WE NEED TO DO THAT?
OUR SYSTEM HAS
BEEN CORRUPTED BY CORPORATE MONEY IN POLITICS.
OBAMA TALKED
A GOOD GAME THEN EAT A LOT OF PLUCKERS IS THE CHANGE BUT WHEN
HE GOT HIS OFFICE HE DID ALMOST NOTHING FOR REAL CHANGE IN THAT
REGARD AND THE SYSTEM REMAINED EXACTLY AS IT WAS.
I REMEMBER
OBAMA RAN AN AD SAYING I AM NOT GOING TO TRY TO PLAY THE
WASHINGTON POLITICS AND GAMES A LITTLE BIT BETTER, I'M GOING TO
CHANGE THE GAME.
CHANGING THE GAME WAS GETTING MONEY AT A
POLITICS AND HE DID NOT DO IT.
SOMETIMES DEMOCRATS WILL SAY,
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
UNILATERAL DISARMAMENT WHERE THEY DON'T
THEY TAKE THE MONEY AND WE DON'T.
I WANT YOU TO BE
UNCORRUPTED.
I WANT I THINK I WILL GIVE YOU BETTER ELECTORAL
RESULTS BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY I WANT YOU TO GET MONEY INTO
POLITICS AND IF YOU ARE A CANDIDATE AND YOU ARE NO LONGER
TO INCORPORATE MONEY YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?
YOU ARE GOING
TO WORK REALLY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE CAN TAKE CORPORATE
PACK MONEY.
GREAT.
IT IS MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ON TWO
FRONTS.
ONE, YOU ARE NO LONGER CORRUPTED BY THE CORPORATE PACK
MONEY AS A CANDIDATE AND SENATOR NUMBER TWO, YOU ARE INCENTIVIZED
TO WORK SUPER HARD TO GET THAT MONEY OUT OF POLITICS.
SO NO
MATTER WHAT YOU THINK HER INTENTIONS ARE WHY SHE DID IT,
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A WONDERFUL MOMENT NOT JUST
FOR HER BUT FOR THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT.
IT DOES NOT MEAN
THAT WE HAVE ONE.
THAT VICTORY WHEN WE GET A CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT TO GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS IS STILL A GOOD
DISTANCE, AND ORGANIZATIONS LIKE WOLF-PAC.COM ARE WORKING HARD TO
DO AND YOU SHOULD JOIN THEM ONCE WE GET THE AMENDMENT IT IS
CHANGING THE GAME AND BRING OUR DEMOCRACY BACK SO THE
POLITICIANS SERVE THEIR VOTERS AND OTHER DONORS, BUT THIS IS A
VERY IMPORTANT STEP IN THAT DIRECTION.
DOES NOT MEAN THAT
WE HAVE ONE, BUT IT DOES MEAN WE HAVE BEGUN
TO WIN.