John McCrea recently joined American Promise as our new Business Network Manager. In this role, John will help connect members of the business community who are concerned by the corrosive influence of unlimited political spending with the American Promise movement for a 28th Amendment.

While large corporations often see significant ROI by spending millions on lobbying and other political expenditures, a growing number of business leaders are realizing the damage our pay-to-play system does to both our economy and our democracy. These business leaders are stepping up to call for reform to level the playing field and implement fairer competition based on a company’s value and not its political clout.

In the above Q&A, John shares more about what brought him to the movement and why he is committed to the work of advancing the amendment by engaging the business community. His own experiences played a critical role in his dedication to the issue.

“My first internship was in the 1980s working for a lobbyist in Washington, and I learned right away about the expensive dinners and the expensive cars to the dinners and the gifts,” John says. “And I realized right away that legislation was not always about merit and collaboration and analysis, and it’s only gotten worse since the 80s.”

John also emphasized that a healthy, symbiotic relationship between the business community and democracy is crucial. “After 30 years of running small- and mid-sized businesses, I realized that business leaders not only have a vote and a role in the community but they’re heavily, heavily invested in a well-running democracy and society.”

Watch the full Q&A above for more of John’s insights on the relationship between businesses and democracy and to hear his hopes for the future when the 28th Amendment is ratified.