Promising Stories

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Political Cartoon of the Week | December 17, 2020

The widespread effects of big money political spending make it nearly impossible to ignore. Cartoonists, noticing the myriad connections between such spending and the issues plaguing our nation, have used their craft to highlight how big money corrupts our democracy, advances warfare, furthers climate change and, in general,… Read more

Democracies That Don’t Defend Themselves Die | January 7, 2021

The following is a statement from American Promise President Jeff Clements regarding Tuesday's insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Democracies that do not defend themselves die. Yesterday, armed insurrectionists, incited by President Trump, sought to use violence, terror, and chaos to disrupt and destroy one of the most important… Read more

Jim Rubens: To Address National Security, Conservatives Must Prioritize Campaign Finance Reform | January 5, 2021

Our country faces many national security threats, from military threats to cyber attacks, but one that does not receive as much attention as it should is our opaque campaign finance system, which leaves the door open for foreign interests to influence our elections.  In a recent op-ed published… Read more

A Year of Progress While Apart: Learning and Leading Through the Challenges of 2020 | December 16, 2020

Amid the global pandemic, 2020 has seen a convergence of crises around racism, climate change, political polarization and economic inequality. Along with these crises, this year has offered lessons: It has exposed major cracks in our democratic system; demonstrated the ever-growing battle for power over the future of… Read more

Meet Our New Team Member: Jacob Brown | December 16, 2020

In this Q&A, American Promise's new Development Coordinator Jacob Brown discusses what led him to join the American Promise team and why he cares about advancing the 28th Amendment to end unlimited political spending. Growing up and working in the D.C. area, Jacob Brown became intimately familiar with the… Read more

Alaskans Say ‘Yes’ to Ballot Measure 2: More Choice, More Voice and More Power to the People | November 18, 2020

Congratulations Alaska! In the recent election, over 50% of Alaska voters said “yes” to becoming the 21st state calling for a constitutional amendment to enable limits on big money in politics and protect their voice and self-government. Gathering over 171,000 votes, Ballot Measure 2 will reduce partisanship, end… Read more

Meet Our New Team Member: Gregory Joseph | November 18, 2020

In this Zoom interview, new American Promise Communications Director Gregory Joseph shares how his experience with civil rights issues drew him to the campaign to limit political spending, why it’s important to uplift and amplify the voices of people who typically are marginalized, and what he hopes to… Read more

Meet Our New Team Member: Marnie Walsh | November 18, 2020

In this Zoom interview, new American Promise Empowerment Coordinator Marnie Walsh discusses why it’s important to collaborate with volunteers from varied backgrounds, what issues and values drew her to the organization, and what she hopes to accomplish with the American Promise team. Watch the video and read her… Read more

After Divisive Election, a Key Takeaway: Majority of Americans Agree It’s Time to Limit Money in Politics | November 11, 2020

In a contentious 2020 election season that drew a record $14 billion in spending, a key issue for Americans on both sides of the political aisle is the battle between record voting numbers and the overwhelming influence of money in politics. A majority of Americans remain united on… Read more

Meet Our New Political Research Intern: Kyle Taylor | October 2, 2020

In this Zoom interview, American Promise's Political Research Intern for the fall, Kyle Taylor, discusses why he is passionate about ending unlimited political spending, how his professional goals intersect with getting money out of politics, and what he envisions the United States will look like after the American… Read more

Progress Amid Challenges: Consensus Builds for the 28th Amendment | September 23, 2020

Our nation’s history reminds us that challenging times often spark eras of reform and renewal. As Americans grapple with the current convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the interrelated crises of economy, racial justice, political violence, climate disasters, and a collapse of trust, they also are seeing the… Read more

New Poll Shows Strong Cross-Partisan Support for Amendment in Maine | September 10, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Jeff Clements, American Promise President, (617) 281-5350, [email protected] Amy Cartmell, Stand with Maine co-leader, (207) 522-6490, [email protected] Jane Gallagher, Stand with Maine co-leader, (207) 653-6918, [email protected] POLL RELEASED TODAY SHOWS STRONG CROSS-PARTISAN SUPPORT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ON CAMPAIGN SPENDING AMONG LIKELY MAINE VOTERS FOR THE… Read more

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Special Content Pages:

Keep the Promise: America250

America is in crisis. The convergence in 2020 of the Covid-19 pandemic and the interrelated crises of economy, racial justice, political violence, climate disasters, and a collapse of trust has laid bare the danger and high stakes we Americans now face. Our constitutional democracy and commitment to the American promise of human liberty, equal citizenship, and effective self-government are in urgent need of repair and renewal. Read More

#ChallengeAccepted: The American Promise Amendment + Reinventing Democracy for the 21st Century

Americans are in a huge moment of possibility for profound reform, and in that we can find hope. In the midst of systemic failures—in our economy, society, government—American citizens are rising to the challenge of reshaping our democracy for the 21st century and beyond. Read More

Building Support in Congress

Passing a constitutional amendment is difficult by design: the only way to achieve it is with widespread, cross-partisan support driven by grassroots action. While there are two routes to passing a constitutional amendment, only one method has ever been successfully used—acquiring two-thirds support from both houses of Congress and approval by three-quarters of the states. Read More

Money in Politics and Health Care

Big money political spending affects all facets of our society, including our nation’s health-care system. Lobbying from health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and other health care-related interests has resulted in a dysfunctional system that is more expensive and provides less coverage than those in other developed countries. Read more

A History of People Power

Throughout our nation’s history, citizen leaders have coalesced around reform movements that expand our fundamental rights to broader coalitions of Americans and improve our democratic self-governance—often through the amendment process. Read more

7 Critical Democracy Reforms: Which Are Most Important to You?

There are several election reforms at the core of the nascent democracy movement growing in the United States, and the prospect that we need to pass constitutional amendments to fix some of the structural issues is gaining traction. Read more

Citizen's United 10th Anniversary

In the decade since the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, Americans have seen its devastating effects: Election spending by the wealthiest individuals and untraceable dark money groups has skyrocketed, faith in our representative democracy is historically low, and legislative outcomes don’t represent the wishes of Americans, but rather serve the interests of the wealthy elite. Read more
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