The Republican National Convention (RNC) concludes tonight. The Democratic National Convention (DNC) takes place next month.
The four-day assemblies officially anoint their respective presidential and vice-presidential nominees, present speakers to inspire delegates and those watching to support their campaigns, provide delegates (including current elected officials) opportunities to connect with others in their state and beyond, and serve up plenty of convention hoopla.
The conventions are also where corporate entities invest huge sums of money so their CEOs and lobbyists can be seen and heard.
The RNC is funded through a nonprofit host committee that doesn't have to disclose its donors (names and amounts) and expenditures until mid September. The host committee, however, lists on its website dozens of partners, most of whom are donors that have doled out cash to the convention, with a goal of raising $70 million between corporate entities and wealthy individuals.
The list of corporate partners/sponsors includes the Heritage Foundation, General Motors, fossil fuel corpany TC Energy, American Petroleum Institute, and various trade associations. The Heritage Foundation is the main group behind Project 2025, the 1000 page blueprint for replacing federal civil servants with Trump loyalists, dismantling numerous federal agencies and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants.
All donors are certainly “seen” at political conventions. Their logos are prominently displayed and materials, often including gift bags, are doled out to delegates. But corporations are not only seen. They're heard. The boatload (or car and truck loads of cash in the case of General Motors) sponsorship buys their executives and lobbyists VIP access to convention events where face-to-face access to policy makers is as prevalent in these exclusive gatherings as the confetti and balloons that will be dropped from the rafters tonight at the RNC convention’s conclusion.
The presence and influence of corporations will be much the same in Chicago at the DNC, with one major possible exception. If Joe Biden decides to withdraw before then, corporate influence in deciding his replacement will be enormous. As investigative reporter Lee Fang states,
[T]here is little discussion of the process and the identities of the corporate lobbyists working as DNC party insiders—many of whom actively lobby for Silicon Valley giants, health insurance conglomerates, and the financial services sector—who could have an outsized influence in selecting the new presidential nominee.
If Biden made it through the Convention, but for health reasons had to step aside, the decision makers for replacing him will fall to the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee and insiders “superdelegates.” Members of both groups listed by Fang include present and former influential lobbyists and consultants of powerful corporations.
Move to Amend co-directors and many of you have spent the last two years tirelessly working to gain access to Congresspersons seeking co-sponsorship of the We the People Amendment (HJR54). Access has been the major impediment. When we’ve gained the attention of Representatives or their key aides, we’ve gained co-sponsors. We have experienced first hand that money at the very least buys access, if not actual decisions.
Money is power, but so are people. When we act together, we are a force for democratic change. Being consistently persistent makes a difference.
This is why Move to Amend will be in Chicago at the DNC.
We hope to engage in person Congresspersons who are delegates urging them to cosponsor the We the People Amendment. We will also be petitioning, flyering and making contact with other groups connecting the challenges of attaining the solutions they seek with the reality of corporate constitutional rights and money as free speech.
While corporations will have major influence inside the convention, we will be promoting authentic democracy outside. It's the place to be.
Join us!
George, Daniel, Margaret, Michael, Jessica, Katie, Keyan, Jennie, Tara, Shelly, , Cole, Alfonso, Jason & Greg
Move to Amend National Team
https://www.movetoamend.org/
