Dear John,
What if you woke up one morning and learned that, overnight, there was a brand new Constitution that banned abortion in all 50 states? Ended Medicare and Social Security? Or made peaceful protest illegal?
While it sounds far-fetched, secretive – but well funded – right-wing groups are closer than ever before to making that nightmare scenario a reality.
I’m talking about Article V – a plot that would allow unelected, unaccountable delegates to radically reshape our Constitution.
The conspirators behind Article V have a clear and shocking agenda. Shredding First Amendment protections. Gutting environmental regulations. Rolling back civil rights advances. And enshrining far-right wing economics as permanent fiscal policy – gutting Medicare, Medicaid, and other safety-net programs.
Many constitutional experts believe Article V is the biggest present threat to our democracy – and it’s happening right now, fueled by right-wing special interest groups, behind closed doors and out of the public eye.
John, I’m not telling you this to cause panic, and I want to be absolutely clear that all hope is not lost.
That’s because Common Cause knows how to win these state-by-state fights against Article V – in fact, we already have.
Just last year, we mobilized to roll back Article V in Oregon, and just before that, in New Jersey and Illinois. We have also rescinded Article V bills in Colorado, New Hampshire, Delaware, New Mexico, Maryland, and Nevada in the last several years – in addition to stopping nearly 150 new calls for a convention each year in states across the country.
But I’m writing to you with urgency today because we’re just weeks away from state legislative sessions restarting – and an onslaught of new attempts to pass Article V.
If we learned anything last year, it’s that these bills will move fast, with multiple states holding votes to pass Article V bills in a single day.
We’re anticipating that this year, we’ll have to work harder than ever before to stop Article V – especially since our new Speaker of the House is a vocal proponent of the plot to gut our rights. And this fight is going to be a resource-intensive one. We’re up against multi-million dollar donors with a lot to gain and incredibly deep pockets.
Our team is preparing to drastically ramp up our state-by-state organizing strategy to stay on top of all the new calls for a convention in the upcoming year. But we can’t do this without your support, John.
Can I count on you to rush your contribution of $3 or more today and power our work to stop Article V? Your gift will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000 until midnight on December 31st!
Standing with you,
Viki Harrison, Director of Constitutional Convention & Protect Dissent Programs
and the team at Common Cause
