Clancy is a co-founder Citizen Connect Directors and Bridge Alliance Educational FoundationCitizen Connect is an initiative of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund, which also runs The Fulcrum.
It’s a very strange dynamic: A majority of Americans believe that an “us vs. them” political system is a threat to the nation, yet many of them throw money at this issue every election year.
According to the Federal Election Commission Total spending on presidential elections increased by more than 130% between 2016 and 2020. The same trend is seen in congressional elections, where spending increased by more than 110% between 2016 and 2020, with even more on the way for the 2022 midterm elections. To make matters worse, a surge in donations is coming from “dark money,” making it difficult to know who is behind the donations and what strings are attached.
It’s often said that you get what you pay for, but in the world of politics that’s not true for most Americans. Instead of paying more and getting more, they’re actually getting less. We expect our elected officials to focus on keeping us safe and protecting the American Dream, but that’s not the case in Washington. Instead, we have too many politicians who spend their time making excuses, placing blame, and making pretense. Data from the Congressional Record The evidence for this fact is that we are paying more and more money to fund officeholders who get less and less done.
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How does this happen? One big piece of the puzzle is the big money that both parties depend on. If you’re already rich with special interests, government inaction doesn’t matter. Rather, it maintains the status quo that puts you on top. Another sad fact is that shifting the blame works for elected officials. When they play the blame game (and we fall for it), they can avoid being held accountable for delivering results and claim to be heroes for just “saving us” from the other side. We wouldn’t tolerate such blatant cronyism or lame excuses in our work or home lives, but the political parties have honed a strategy that works every time.
So is there really anything we can do about this? This question brings to mind the saying, “It is insanity to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results.” This means that if we want to improve something, we need to change our behavior. One powerful way to do this is to donate all or a portion of the money you’re considering donating to your favorite (or least favorite) candidate to a nonpartisan organization dedicated to holding politicians accountable and returning power to mainstream citizens.
More than $14 billion was spent on the 2020 federal election. If just 10 percent of that was invested in putting country first, it would make a world of difference. And that’s exactly what I’ve committed to doing in 2024: instead of pouring more money into partisan election campaigns, I’ll focus my giving on organizations that pursue practical ways to fix harmful politics.
So which initiative or organization should you choose? Only you can decide which aligns with your values and priorities, but the best place to decide isCitizen ConnectIt is a platform of over 600 nonpartisan organizations working to address our broken political system by building common ground, fixing our electoral process, and providing quality civics education. These organizations are run by committed citizens across the political spectrum – Republicans, Democrats, and Independents – working together to heal our nation. Here are a few great examples out of the many others worthy of your consideration:
All Veterans Voter is a great organization that is focused on giving veterans more of a say in politics through reforms like open primaries.Mormon Women Want Ethical Government It aims to “inspire women of faith to be nonpartisan ambassadors of peace who courageously advocate for ethical government.”Listen First Project It coordinates and supports the work of hundreds of organizations across the country that work to find common ground across differences; andiCivics Support nonpartisan civics education by providing creative learning tools like games and simulations in and outside the classroom.
If you believe our political system is broken, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is and your actions, even if you’re short on means. Citizen Connect organizations are a great way to put your donations to good use. Think of them as a personal investment in protecting our democracy and a way to support the people working to build America up, not tear it down. By the way, I’m a co-founder of Citizen Connect, and while we need funding too, I’d like you to explore the amazing organizations on our platform. They’re doing such important and inspiring work, and I’m sure you’ll agree. Here are some of them: 90 Second Video It shows what a civic revitalization community is and why you should support it today.
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