Pay-to-play is a term used to describe an all too common occurrence in our political system: when money is exchanged directly for political favors, such as generous campaign donations for a lucrative government contract, or Superbowl tickets in exchange for a legislative favor.
The phrase began dominating headlines in late 2008, when former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges that included trying to sell the Senate seat of then President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder.
Ironically, in the closing arguments of his impeachment trial on Jan. 29, Blagojevich stumbled on a kernel of truth about politics today, when he defended his actions by saying, "Those are conversations relating to the things all of us in politics do in order to run campaigns and try to win elections."
“You guys are in politics,” Blagojevich added to the senators. “You know what we have to do to go out and run elections.”
Blagojevich, who also tried to withhold funds for a local children's hospital as ransom for campaign contributions, deserves no defense. But he demonstrates how deep the pay-to-play problems go.
“The American people know too, and they want it stopped,” said Bob Edgar, president and CEO of Common Cause. “It’s time to end pay-to-play politics in America and give people the government they deserve.”
There is no question that our system is broken. Blagojevich is just one story and yet, through his actions, he has shined a spotlight on a much deeper rot in our politics that needs to be fixed.
Common Cause is proposing a major reform package that, if enacted, will strike at the heart of this corrupt system and culture. Our “Clean Government for Change” package would:
· Ban lobbyist contributions, bundling and fundraising for members of Congress and the President
· Adopt pay-to-play laws at the state level modeled after a successful Connecticut law that bans campaign contributions and fundraising by lobbyists and government contractors
· Create a new campaign finance system that enables candidates who swear off special interest money to run vigorous campaigns on a blend of small private contributions and public funds.
Please join Common Cause in its work. Visit www.commoncause.org to learn more.
