"We may have democracy, or we may have vast wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." -- Justice Louis Brandeis
"The practice of democracy is not transferred through the gene pool. It must be taught and learned anew by each generation of citizens." -- Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Minnesota Citizens for Clean Elections (MnCCE) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that promotes electoral and government policies which reflect the will of the people and not the power of money.
Wednesday, June 27: Book Club Meeting
The third round of Dark Money Book Club meetings began on Wednesday May 23. Members attending decided to focus future meetings on a common reading (not, for example, on free-form discussion). Articles will be preferred to books. For the June meeting, the common reading is the May 28 Time magazine cover article, "How My Generation Broke America," by Steven Brill. The June meeting will take place on Wednesday, 6/27, from noon to 1:30, at Saint Joan of Arc Church, 4537 3rd Ave. So, Minneapolis. Meetings are also set for August 22 and September 26 (all 4th Fridays). There is no meeting scheduled for July. (Take articles and books with you for vacation reading.) For more information, contact Mary Morris, hayesmorris@gmail.com.
Saturday, June 30: Filing Extension - Tax Rally 2018
The original Tax Day Rally, sponsored by Tax March MN, was scheduled to occur on Sunday, April 15 but was canceled because of the late winter storm. It has now been rescheduled for June 30, 11 AM - 2 PM. Speakers signed up as of today (6/11) are Judge George Beck, Clean Elections MN Chair, Ben Gubits of American Promise, and Reverend Nancy Nord Bence of Protect MN. More details here as they become available. See also www.taxmarchmn.org.
Thursday, July 19: Clean Elections Monthly Meeting, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Like the June 14 meeting, the July meeting will be a working session that takes place in the Community Room (upstairs) of Byerlys just south of Southdale in Edina, 7171 France Avenue South. The meeting will focus on distribution of the data gathered by responses to the survey handed out to volunteers during the June meeting. (Thanks to everyone who showed up!) If attending on your lunch hour, you can eat food purchased on site but rules prohibit bringing a lunch. The community room includes a wine bar.
Make a Difference!
Act now to support an effort in Minnesota to overturn the Supreme Court's disastrous decision in Citizens United. Follow the link to a Clean Elections resolution to present to leaders in your municipality. For more information, contact Jim Herrick, jherrick512@gmail.com.
Join Us!
Annual dues are $25. The first $25 of a larger donation covers dues. Dues and donations are tax-deductible. Send checks to Jim Herrick, 1780 Lake Street, Lauderdale, MN 55113.
View the Trailer for the film Dark Money
After clicking on the arrow to view the video, you may need to turn up the sound by (1) moving your mouse pointer over the image and (2) clicking on speaker icon in the lower right of the video.
This movie about the dire effects for democracy of Citizens United as illustrated by events in the microcosm of Montana politics, was shown as part of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival on April 22 and 23, 2018. For once, audience applause in a movie theater was not like the proverbial tree falling in the forest: Director Kimberly Reed was there to hear. It is, indeed, "A densely packed documentary that earnestly and obsessively addresses campaign finance reform, its history, and vital importance." -- Hollywood Reporter. If you missed it, or want to see it again, the film will appear in theaters on July 13, and on PBS this fall.
Saturday, May 5: Clean Elections Monthly Meeting Slide Presentation
Peter Wattson gave an informative and entertaining presentation on partisan gerrymandering at our May meeting. You can review the slides by clicking here.
Watch Jeff Clements's talk about Reclaiming Democracy on MTN
If you missed the talk in February and subsequently on SPNN and MTN's Channel 16, by clicking here you can watch the presentation delivered in February by Jeff Clements, president and co-founder of American Promise and author of Corporations Are Not People. In the St. Paul studio of SPNN in February, Mr Clements explained the need to amend the US Constitution to reverse the effects of Citizens United. American Promise is a cross-partisan network of Americans working to establish the 28th Amendment to the Constitution "to end the tyranny of big money and special interests in our elections and government." An attorney, Jeff has been a partner in a major Boston law firm and has served as Assistant Attorney General and Chief of the public law enforcement bureau in the office of the Attorney General of Massachusetts. Clean Elections Minnesota co-sponsored the event. SPNN broadcast the proceedings; they will also be available on You Tube.