Money power; people power

Money power

Yesterday @lessig announced that he is seeking to raise $1,000,000 by Labor Day, to be used to mount a credible campaign in the Democratic Presidential Primary. See the Plan Step 1.

Also, yesterday I learned about the Honest Elections Seattle initiative of Represent.Us.  An email from Represent.Us  explained as follows:

We're on the brink of something huge. A passionate coalition is fighting hard to make Seattle, WA the second major city to pass a law protecting their city from corruption.The Honest Elections Seattle initiative is headed to the ballot this November, but powerful special interests are already working to stop the proposed law.Together, we're the most powerful anti-corruption community in America. If we all pitch in, we could build a defense fund ready to protect the Honest Elections Seattle initiative and future Anti-Corruption Acts.

Better yet, a generous donor has offered to match every donation from one of us with one of their own – up to $10,000 – until Friday, August 14th.
Will you chip in now to unlock this $10,000 gift? We only have until next Friday.When the attack ads begin, and the secret money starts to flow, our defense fund could:

• Run print and radio ads telling the truth about the Honest Elections initiative

• Create powerful videos telling the real stories of regular people in Seattle, and why this law will make a difference

• And respond to opposition campaigns faster than ever

Will you make a small contribution before next Friday and double your impact?This is about so much more than Seattle. Together, we're working to put Anti-Corruption Acts on the ballot in cities and states across the United States.
Once passed, these laws aren't safe. Special interests will do everything they can to dismantle anti-corruption laws in order to regain their political influence. It's up to us to make sure that doesn't happen.
If just one in ten of us makes a small donation today, we could supercharge Honest Elections Seattle and fund future Anti-Corruption Acts.Anti-Corruption Acts are powerful because they crack down on corruption and make politicians beholden to their constituents. That's why moneyed interests will do whatever it takes to strike them down. It's up to all of us to pass these Acts and protect them from being taken apart brick by brick.
Make a small donation today and your money will go towards protecting existing Anti-Corruption Acts and getting more Acts on the ballot for 2016.Together, we can win and return the power to the people.

Last month MAYDAY's announcement launched with:

Fight against corruption in the 2016 elections.
Contribute now. We need you. We need to build power so we can demand that politicians do something about how private money is destroying democracy.* * * *

We are up against some of the most powerful anti-democratic forces in the world, and need people power to fight. * * * *

Show your power and contribute.

All campaign finance reformers, who want to see an end to the corruption, will well wish that Prof. Lessig, Represent.Us and MAYDAY receive bounteous donations to carry out their campaigns.

That is money power.

Campaign finance reformers have become accustomed to "embracing the irony" of fighting money with money.

I made donations yesterday to Prof. Lessig and Represent.Us.


People power

My interest is with people power (maybe because I don't have any influence over the money).

Let's define people power as large numbers of people taking significant actions seeking to achieve a political objective.

The instigation for people power may be a charismatic leader, or a cause, or a combination of the two. The widespread action in people power ostensibly happens in a spontaneous and infectious way.

Money may be expended in tandem with the people power actions, and such money is frequently derived from donations in small amounts by the people engaging in the the action. The potency of people power comes predominantly from the widespread personal actions and involvement of the people, and the money receives much less note.

Noteworthy examples of people power include the current Sanders candidacy, the Ross Perot candidacy in the 1990's, the Tea Party movement of a few years ago, and maybe the Trump phenomenon.

People power can be potent and can influence political outcomes (sometimes in the not directly intended way, such as the Perot candidacy in 1992 resulting in Bill Clinton winning the Presidential election).

If money power is lacking, people power is imperative for the achievement of a political goal.

Those who have a political objective but lack money power can do little to conjure people power, and people power is largely a happenstance of whether large numbers of people spontaneously and infectiously joining in political actions seeking to achieve a goal.

How much people power will arise on behalf of @lessig will be seen in the course of time.

I don't know enough to comment about people power arising in support of the the Honest Elections Seattle initiative of Represent.Us.

At the moment, not much people power is being manifested on behalf of MAYDAY.

[to be continued]