SOURCE: Wikipedia, captured 2020-09-10
This page last modified: 2020-09-22 15:44:36 -0700 (PST)
See also: Synopsis of Dark Money Campaign Financing and U.S. Constitution Article V Reform.
Common Cause is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., with chapters in 35 states. Common Cause was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican, who was the former Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President Lyndon Johnson as well as chair of the National Urban Coalition, an advocacy group for minorities and the working poor in urban areas. As initially founded, Common Cause was prominently known for its efforts to bring about an end to the Vietnam War and lower the voting age from 21 to 18.
Sometimes identified as liberal-leaning, Common Cause has also been identified as nonpartisan and advocates government reform. Common Cause is identified with the reformist "good government" movement and is often described as a watchdog group. Common Cause's tagline is "holding power accountable" and its stated mission is "upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process."
Common Cause is organized as a 501(c)(4) organization, and its sister organization, the Common Cause Educational Fund, is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Common Cause's stated issue areas are "money in politics," "voting and elections," "ethics," "a fair economy," and "media and democracy."
Common Cause opposes and actively lobbies against modern-day efforts to call a [U.S. Constitution] Article V Convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution by both progressive and conservative groups; e.g.:
the progressive political action committee Wolf-PAC to limit large monetary donations to political candidates parties and groups; and
For a more detailed account of how Common Cause thwarts Wolf-PACs efforts, see "Runaway convention" theory, ongoing conflict with DNC and Common Cause.
the conservative advocacy group Citizens for Self-Governance's Convention of the States, initiative, which is backed by some Republican politicians and attempts neoliberal constitutional reform.
In a May 2016 report entitled The Dangerous Path: Big Money's Plan to Shred the Constitution, Common Cause wrote that
"There is nothing to prevent the convention, once convened, from proposing additional changes that could limit or eliminate fundamental rights or upend our entire system of government."
While a constitutional convention could conceivably overturn the controversial Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC and limit the role of money in politics (as advocated by groups such as Wolf-PAC), Common Cause suggests that the risk of a runaway convention is too great because "state legislatures, the majority of which are controlled by Republicans, would likely control the agenda at a constitutional convention" and as a result it is extremely unlikely "that a convention controlled by those legislatures would really do anything productive on money in politics, on voting rights, on democracy in general."
Common Cause lobbied Congress to pass the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, requiring government officials to disclose their finances and restricting the "revolving door" between government and business. In 1989, they lobbied for passage of a new Ethics in Government Act, which ended special-interest honoraria for members of Congress and closed a loophole that allowed members to convert campaign funds to personal use.
Common Cause's efforts led to ethics probes and the resignations of House Speakers Jim Wright in 1988 and Newt Gingrich in 1995.
During the 2016 presidential elections, Common Cause suggested that the Clinton Foundation would create ethics and conflict of interest challenges for Hillary Clinton should she become president. Common Cause criticized Hillary Clinton's plan to give Chelsea Clinton control of the foundation and called for an independent audit and full disclosure of the foundation's donors. The public interest group [Common Cause] also criticized Donald Trump on his refusal to release his tax returns during the 2016 presidential election. Common Cause has been outspoken about the potential conflicts of interest from Trump's businesses and called for Trump to put his assets into a blind trust instead of handing over control of his businesses to his children.
In 1972, Common Cause sued President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign, the Committee for the Re-Election of the President, under the Federal Corrupt Practices Act in an attempt to force Nixon's campaign to report early campaign contributions. The lawsuit forced the disclosure of the names of several Nixon donors. In 1974, Common Cause supported passage of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), encompassing public financing of presidential campaigns and oversight of campaign ethics through the Federal Election Commission.
Common Cause has advocated for public financing of elections in order to decrease the influence of special-interest contributions. Common Cause's most successful campaign finance reform efforts have been in New York City in 1999; Connecticut in 2005; Montgomery County, Maryland in 2014; Howard County, Maryland in 2017; Prince George's County, Maryland in 2018; and California.
Common Cause has sought to end the practice of gerrymandering in several states. In 2016, it filed a lawsuit in North Carolina challenging the constitutionality of district maps. Common Cause's North Carolina chapter has led a campaign to create a nonpartisan redistricting process, which has bipartisan support in the state. Common Cause is also challenging redistricting in Democratic-controlled states, such as Maryland.
Common Cause advocates for a voter-verified paper audit trail for election machines in all states. Common Cause has documented complaints about electronic voting machines.
Common Cause is in favor of establishing a national popular vote for presidential elections to replace the current electoral college system. Following the November 2016 U.S. presidential election, Common Cause called for the National Popular Vote Compact to counteract what it called the "anti-democratic" outcome in that election.
Karen Hobert Flynn became the Common Cause's president in June 2016.
The following individuals have served as president of Common Cause:
Jack Conway (1971-1975)
David Cohen (1975-1981)
Fred Wertheimer (1981-1995)
Ann McBride (1995-1999) -- longtime Common Cause employee who served as vice president and lobbyist for Common Cause, before serving as president
Scott Harshbarger (1999-2002) -- served as Massachusetts Attorney General before becoming Common Cause president
Chellie Pingree (2003-2007) -- after stepping down as president of Common Cause, was elected as U.S. Representative from Maine
Robert W. (Bob) Edgar (2007-2013) -- served as Democratic U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania before becoming president of Common Cause; died in office in April 2013
Miles Rapoport (2014-2016) -- was president of Demos before becoming president of Common Cause
Karen Hobert Flynn (2016-present)
The following are three of the most prominent individuals who have served as chairs of Common Cause's board:
John W. Gardner (1970-1978) -- founder and chairman of Common Cause; served two three-year terms as chairman before stepping down.
Archibald Cox (1980-1992) -- former Watergate special prosecutor.
Robert Reich (2013-2018*) -- former Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration. [*Due to Common Cause's policy of nonpartisanship, Reich took a leave of absence from Common Cause from February 2016 until after the November 2016 election in order to become involved in Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign.]
Common Cause has an annual combined budget of around $18 million. This includes its sister organization, the Common Cause Education Fund.
The Common Cause Education Fund has received $113,000 from the Bauman Foundation:
| Bauman Foundation: Grants, by Fiscal Year (July 01 - June 30) | |||
| Data captured 2020-09-11. | |||
| Grantee | Fiscal Year | Amount | Cumulative Amount |
| Common Cause Education Fund | 2013-14 | $3,000 | $113,000 |
| Common Cause Education Fund | 2014-15 | $75,000 | |
| Common Cause Education Fund | 2017-18 | $35,000 | |
Rucho v. Common Cause, a 2019 landmark case of the US Supreme Court involving Common Cause.
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