Make Corruption Your Issue

In just six weeks, Lawrence Lessig's TED talk We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim has reached more than 800,00 people. Now, he's decided it's time to pass the torch, and it's up to us, Rootstrikers, to take it the rest of the way.

Lessig is retiring his TED talk, which means that this will be the last you see of it coming from his mouth. Instead, he is challenging Rootstrikers to ensure it builds the movement it demands by making it their own. If Lessig's talk moved you to take action against the corruption that cripples our government, then now it's up to you to move at least five friends to do the same.

Here's the deal: We want you to pledge to take Lessig's message, make it your own, and share it with at least a handful of people [the more the better].

At minimum, that means adding your name to the form at the right and sending a message to at least five people.

At best, that means using our remixing tool Corruption Is My Issue to bring another level of awesome to this effort:

• At "find materials" you'll be able to access the original source files for Lessig's TED talk on Slideshare.
• At "join projects" you'll find Rootstrikers' Pipeline, where others are already working on projects together, and where you can start one of your own.
• And this is the fun part: All you have to do is combine your personal story about why corruption matters to you and mash it up with Lessig's talk about the systemic problem. Make a Prezi, create a powerpoint presentation, write a poem, or make it into graphic/live/storytelling art of some kind. Then just share it with everyone you know.

We can't stop the corruption until at least a million people are behind us, so that means that we, Rootstrikers, have some work to do. Lessig reached over 800,000 people. If each of you reached just five, we'd have spread this critical message about corruption to well over a million.

176 pledges

Will you pick up where Lessig left off, and help Rootstrikers build the movement needed to reclaim our Republic? Add your pledge to the right. 

Add Pledge

Petition to the FEC on Super PAC Regulation

**Update** March 28, 2013 — FEC Chairwoman Ellen Weintraub agreed to our request, saying "sooner would be better." Please add your signature to our second, bipartisan petition targeting the remaining members of the commission.

FEC Chairwoman Ellen L. Wientraub recently acknowledged the potential corruption of candidate-specific super PACs, but her remarks said nothing of a plan to address this. Please join Rootstrikers in demanding that the FEC hold a public hearing — the first it will have held in almost a year — regarding super PAC regulation.

Click here to read the full letter Lawrence Lessig sent to Chairwoman Weintraub. >>

In 2012 the commission provided much needed clarity on issues such as internet fundraising and texting contributions. Important work still needs to be done to determine:

• Whether a super PAC can use candidate footage, or a candidate can fundraise for a super PAC, and that super PAC still remain independent;
• If the "magic words" cited in Buckley v. Valeo are the only ones subject to regulation as express advocacy;
• Are there any statutory standards to prosecute independent groups who produce ads that are not "coordinated" under FEC regulations;
• Can a super PAC be run by a candidate's past campaign staff or family members?

The FEC's first and only act in 2013 has been to raise contribution limits to $2,600 for individuals and $123,200 in aggregate. Are we to understand that the FEC's priority is to increase spending, not regulate it?

1,838 signatures

Will the FEC acknowledge the deeply rooted corruption that grows along both sides of the aisle, and call for a hearing to discuss the regulation of candidate-specific super PACs?

Add signature

Campus Digest #1

Today is the day. The campus mission page has officially gone live. In the coming months, we will develop a strong dedicated team of college Rootstrikers who will span the nation in the fight against money's corrupting influence in our politics. I again thank each one of you for taking the initiative to join this important cause.

Read more

The No Lobbying Pledge

Dear Representative,

Too many see Congress as a stepping stone to a much more lucrative future — one as a lobbyist. With an average salary increase of 1,452%, we understand why. But whether we're Republicans, Democrats, or Independents, we want representatives who will labor for us. Just for us, and not for your future employer: the lobbyist. Will you make the following pledge:

I pledge that I will not become a lobbyist when I leave Congress.

(Read the full pledge)

 

If you are a member of Congress and will sign the No Lobbying Pledge please leave your name below and we'll be in touch to follow up.

 

 No Lobbying Pledge Signers

Rep. Jim Cooper, TN (5)

**UPDATE: Representative Jim Cooper and from Tennessee's 5th Congressional district has pledged that if elected, he will not become lobbyists when he leaves office. Who will be next?

457 signatures

Add Signature

Campus Chapter Director Application

The fight against the corrupting influence of money in our nation’s politics will succeed only with the help of dedicated volunteers like you. We ask that you take seriously what this commitment means both to the organization, and to the movement.

As a Rootstriker it is your responsibility to:

1. Seek to facilitate cross-partisan dialogue and understanding
2. Prioritize anti-corruption activism. Money in politics is the root of corruption and thus inaction in our nation’s capitol.
3. Be committed to the principles of democratic engagement.

As a campus director it is your responsibility to:

1. Stay in consistent contact with your point person
2. Actively work on your campus or in your city
3. Be respectful of the different opinions your fellow volunteers possess. We all have different views, but Rootstrikers brings us together around one central issue. This issue, money in politics, is what we focus on solely.

If you are interested in becoming a campus director and can abide by the responsibilities above, please fill out the survey below and we'll be in touch.

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