Daily Kos

Campaigns

• Signature needed: Senate will vote on Constitutional Amendment to overturn Citizens United

  The Supreme Court’s Citizens United and McCutcheon decisions opened the floodgates of unlimited campaign spending by the 1%, which threatens our democracy. And the Court will keep ruling this way, as long as we subscribe to the absurd notion that money is “speech.” However, Senator Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) has sponsored a constitutional amendment to give Congress the power to pass campaign contribution limits and spending limits. A vote is expected in the coming months. Sign the petition to the U.S. Senate: Support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and McCutcheon.

  17,902 of 20,000 Signatures

  Created by Paul Hogarth
• Sign and send the petition: Demand FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler hold public hearings on net neutrality

  In the past few weeks, an overwhelming number of comments have been filed at the FCC in favor of protecting an open internet and real net neutrality. Despite this, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has not scheduled large, public field hearings. Before Chairman Wheeler considers passing rules which could end net neutrality and open the door for pay-to-play lanes, he should face the American public by holding large, open public meetings across the country. In addition to voices from the grassroots, FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel has indicated her support for more public input. Rep. Mike Honda issued a letter inviting the Chairman to hold public meetings in Silicon Valley. Further, Senator Pat Leahy took matters into his own hands and plans to hold a public field hearing for constituents in Vermont on July 1. Join the voices calling for Wheeler to hold large, open public field hearings. Sign and send the petition to the FCC demanding the Chairman come out and face the public support for real net neutrality.

  11,141 of 15,000 Signatures

  Created by Paul Hogarth
• Tell Congress: Pass the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act. No more Fergusons!

  Police in Ferguson, Missouri could transform their town into a war zone—because of armored vehicles, assault weapons and body armor provided by the United States military. And police militarization has happened in cities all over the country. Section 1033 of a military spending bill passed in 1996 allows the Pentagon to give “surplus war material” to local police departments. Since 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security has also offered grants to local law enforcement agencies to “combat terrorism and fight the war on drugs.” As a direct result, we see situations like what we saw in Ferguson. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) will soon introduce the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act in Congress—which would end the federal government’s program of providing billions of dollars worth of military equipment to local police. It’s about time. Sign the petition to Congress: No more Fergusons. Pass the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act.

  5,827 of 6,000 Signatures

  Created by Rachel Colyer
• Sign the petition: Shame on Democrats that voted to gut Wall Street reform

  On their second day in session, the U.S. House voted on a bill designed to weaken the most important protections of Dodd-Frank. To add insult to injury, 35 Democrats voted with the Republican majority. A week later, after thousands of constituents expressed their displeasure, the House voted again on HR 37. Some of the Democrats got the message and switched their votes, but 29 House Democrats still voted for the bill. The 29 House Democrats were: Brad Ashford (NE-02), Ami Bera (CA-07), Don Beyer (VA-08), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Cheri Bustos (IL-17), John Carney (DE-AL), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), John Delaney (MD-06), Bill Foster (IL-11), Gwen Graham (FL-02), Brian Higgins (NY-26), Jim Himes (CT-04), Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Ron Kind (WI-03), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Dan Lipinski (IL-03), Sean Maloney (NY-18), Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Scott Peters (CA-52), Jared Polis (CO-02), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), David Scott (GA-13), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09) and Albio Sires (NJ-08). Dodd-Frank was passed in an attempt to prevent another 2008 financial crisis by lowering risk in various parts of the U.S. financial system. Since its passage, Republicans and Democrats in league with Wall St. have done their best to eliminate its most important protections—and leave the U.S. vulnerable to another economic crisis. Votes like this are calculated moves on the part of centrist Democrats to please donors and distance themselves from the Democratic Party. This isn’t the first offense for many of these bad actors and we’ll likely see more votes like this over the next two years. Every time a Democrat abandons the Party to shill for corporations at the expense of their constituents, we must let them know we are watching and won’t forget when it comes time for re-election.

  6,827 of 7,000 Signatures

  Created by Paul Hogarth
• Sign the petition: Stop the merger of banks that will be “Too Big to Fail”

  Two banks with troubled histories of foreclosures and squandered public bailouts are now asking the Federal Reserve to merge, making them “too big to fail.” OneWest Bank moved to foreclose on Myrtle Lewis, a 103-year-old Texas widow, because she forgot to pay her house insurance. Public pressure stopped this foreclosure, but OneWest has one of the worst records in the industry when it comes to mortgage modifications. CIT Group bank received $2.3 billion in taxpayer funds in 2008 during the bank bailout, so they could help small businesses with loans. Instead, CIT Group filed for bankruptcy in 2009 while serving very few small businesses. Now, these two banks are seeking permission from the Federal Reserve to merge into a $70 billion “too big to fail” mega-bank. And they are even pressuring the Fed to not hold a hearing. Sign the petition to Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen: “Say No to the merger of OneWest and CIT Group.”

  6,067 of 7,000 Signatures

  Created by Paul Hogarth
• Sign the petition: Remove the Confederate flag from license plates

  Following last week’s attack on Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. and a Supreme Court ruling giving states discretion over what appears on license plates, the governors of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee have stated their commitments to taking the Confederate flag off speciality state license plates. Five more states offer license plates that bear the emblem—Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. Add your name to the petition telling them to remove it. Whatever its benign significance to some people, the Confederate flag historically signifies an era of slavery and oppression, and is a rallying symbol for white supremacists and those fearful of progress. Displaying it on government issued license plates is unnecessarily divisive and hurtful. Sign the petition: Take the Confederate flag off state-issued license plates.

  3,682 of 4,000 Signatures

  Created by Paul Hogarth
• Sign the petition: Companies must fire Donald Trump

  Donald Trump is running for President and immediately exposed himself as a hateful, anti-immigrant buffoon with his inappropriate remarks about Mexican-Americans. Many companies that have done business with Trump in the past—Macy’s, NBC and Univision—have severed ties with him as a result. But others have not. Trump’s bigotry has no place in our political discourse, and companies that continue to do business with him are only enabling him. Sign the petition to all companies who do business with Donald Trump: Fire him!

  3,648 of 4,000 Signatures

  Created by Paul Hogarth
• Tell the Michigan legislature: Don’t endanger women’s health by passing this extreme bill

  The Michigan Legislature is about to pass a major piece of legislation that restricts women’s health care coverage in the state. The initiative would ban all health insurance policies in the state—public and private—from covering abortions, including in cases of rape and grave danger to the mother. Michigan Right to Life used an arcane tactic, known as an “indirect initiated state statute,” to do an end-run around a previous veto of this bill to make it law with a very low bar––they only needed 3.4% of Michigan voters to sign a petition supporting the initiative. The Michigan legislature can either approve the legislation, or let the voters decide next year. Tell Michigan legislators that 3.4% of voters should not make over-reaching decisions about women’s health care choices, and instead to put this on the ballot in November 2014.

  6,417 of 7,000 Signatures

  Created by Paul Hogarth
• Sign the petition demanding this Texas family not have to pay medical bills mandated by this awfu...

  An arcane Texas law allowed John Peter Smith Hospital to override a family's decision to remove a brain-dead woman from life support––because she was 14 weeks pregnant. After months of struggling with Texas courts and the hospital to respect her predetermined wishes, the family was finally able to put the mother and unborn fetus to rest––ending the torment this family has endured. But this hellish nightmare isn’t over. The grieving husband has begun to receive medical bills for his wife’s unwanted and contentious treatment. Overzealous sanctity of life laws to protect unborn children have forced the living members of this family-father and young son–to endure emotional stress and now financial hardship. Sign the petition demanding that this family not be held accountable for medical bills the state and hospital racked up––urge them to foot the bill and address this law immediately.

  481 of 500 Signatures

  Created by Paul Hogarth
• Include a talking filibuster in any package of Senate rules reforms

  Between now and January 22, Senate leaders will meet to discuss whether senators will continue to be allowed to silently stall any nomination or legislation, or whether the public accountability of a real, talking filibuster will be required from now on. During these meetings, the grassroots need a way to send a message about our frustration with unaccountable obstructionism directly to Senate leaders. At Daily Kos, by teaming up with the champions of the filibuster reform movement inside the Senate—Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tom Udall (D-NM) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)—we have a way you can do exactly that. Tell Senate leaders to include a real, talking filibuster in any package of Senate rules reforms. Sens. Merkley, Udall and Warren will deliver your message.

  12,304 of 15,000 Signatures

  Created by Chris Bowers