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KPFK Fund Drive Day 9
The tidal wave of corporate cash overwhelming this November’s election is a direct result of a Supreme Court decision earlier this year called Citizen’s United Vs. The F.E.C. which allows for unlimited campaign spending by private entities. So far this year’s election are set to be the most expensive mid-term elections in the history of the nation, totaling a whopping $5 billion in spending. It’s not just campaign-related spending, it’s money in Washington DC in general. New research at the University of Kansas recently revealed that the return on investment from lobbying to change the American Jobs Creation Act was a whopping 22,000%. Here in California, political scientists found that for every dollar that big corporations spent lobbying Congress, they reduced their tax costs by $6-$20. Recently the Chamber of Commerce has come under fire from groups like Think Progress for pledging to spend $75 million on this year’s elections to defeat mostly Democrats. The Chamber of Commerce does not have to disclose its sources of funding, prompting the Democratic National Committee to push for an investigation of whether foreign funders are attempting to meddle in US elections, which is unconstitutional. In response, Fox New Shock Jock Glenn Beck has donated $10,000 of his own money to the Chamber of Commerce and urged his listeners to do the same.

The Progressive’s Guide to Raising Hell

Long time organizer and President of Consumer Watchdog, Jamie Court, has a simple message for progressives: it’s time to start raising hell. His new book is called The Progressive’s Guide to Raising Hell: How to Win Grassroots Campaigns, Pass Ballot Box Laws, and Get the Change We Voted For. Calling it a “Direct Democracy Toolkit,” Court shares stories of many successful campaigns he has been involved in to illustrate winning strategies for progressives. The Progressive’s Guide to Raising Hell includes Ten Rules of Populist Power, how to be an effective online activist, and a Guide to using Ballot measures to make gains. Film maker Robert Greenwald calls the book “Tough, smart, strategic. Read it and take action. NOW.”

GUEST: Jamie Court, President of Consumer Watchdog, and author of The Progressive’s Guide to Raising Hell: How to Win Grassroots Campaigns, Pass Ballot Box Laws, and Get the Change We Voted For.

The Yes Men Fix The World

A documentary released earlier this year on the shenanigans of the two political activists called The Yes Men Fix the World, shows how just one or two individuals can raise awareness through creativity and guts. Posing as spokespeople of greedy corporations, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonnano pull off unbelievable stunts shaming companies like Dow Chemical, Exxon Mobil, Halliburton, and others. Wearing thrift-store suits, the Yes Men manage to fool even the BBC. Naomi Klein said of the film, “Hilarious, therapeutic, inspiring. The Yes Men are geniuses.”

GUEST: Andy Bichlbaum, The Yes Men, Co-Director of The Yes Men Fix The World