Friend,
A president mired in scandal... abusing his power to secure re-election… listing his so-called "enemies"... using every dirty political trick in the book to evade accountability…
Sound familiar?
Sure does. That’s because the lessons Common Cause learned in our Watergate years are as applicable today as they were nearly 50 years ago. And just as we did after Watergate, we’re seizing the momentum of public outrage and concern -- and mobilizing to hold our elected officials accountable.
Yesterday was the most powerful testament yet to the impact we can make together -- as the House of Representatives officially voted to impeach President Donald Trump. And the difference-maker was your persistent, grassroots advocacy, as well as that of millions of Americans like you -- mobilizing at town halls throughout autumn and at nationwide rallies in 600 cities this Tuesday.
No other citizens group knows more, or has a better track record of successfully protecting democracy in a climate like today’s, than Common Cause. So even though we’re already more than a million strong, we have to do even more to prepare for Trump’s unprecedented assault on our institutions of democracy.
That’s why I’m reaching out to you today. Common Cause is launching a major escalation of our grassroots organizing efforts. We’ve pulled out all the stops in taking the necessary steps to resist the Trump administration’s attacks on our democracy.
But quite frankly, the success of this mobilization depends on Common Cause members like you.
In the nearly 50 years since Common Cause was immersed in the Watergate scandal, we haven’t faced a crisis of confidence in our democratic institutions as serious as what we face today.
In Donald Trump, we face a president who favors his personal interests over those of our country… who tries to bribe and extort foreign governments for political favors… who makes threats and abuses his pardon power to keep people from testifying against him… and who refuses to secure our elections against hackers and other attacks.
But his malignant acts don’t stop there. This president flouts the Constitution, obstructs legitimate oversight by Congress, and has filled his administration with people whose loyalty to him comes before their loyalty to the rule of law. He has repeatedly demonstrated that he’ll willingly discard our nation’s most cherished democratic principles for short-term political and financial gain.
Even more frightening... the president continues to receive the nearly unanimous support of his party, which controls the Senate… he has attacked the rule of law by flouting normal, constitutional procedures… and he is unrelenting in his attacks on a free press.
This has given him an unprecedented ability to try to impose his will on American voters, whether or not they approve of his policies.
BUT… even though this situation looks bleak, the fact is: we are winning reforms that shift power back to the people -- and that is what makes Trump and his administration so nervous. They know that Common Cause has been here before, and we know what it takes to prevail.
When Richard Nixon demanded that the special prosecutor Archibald Cox be fired in the infamous Saturday Night Massacre, the American people answered that president’s lawlessness with a massive outpouring of people power -- and put in place a series of powerful reforms in Washington, D.C. and in the states. (Newer members may be interested to learn that Archibald Cox, the special Watergate prosecutor, later became Chairperson of Common Cause.)
That’s why I truly believe that however this saga plays out, it can be the catalyst for another great wave of reform.
Already, and with your help, we’ve passed a groundbreaking bill -- the For the People Act (H.R. 1) -- through the U.S. House. It contains dozens of commonsense solutions for ethics, transparency, abuse of power, voting rights, money in politics, and gerrymandering that will make a major impact if we can take it across the finish line. And what we do between now and then will make all the difference for future reform.
Every action we take -- and every victory we win -- is in no small part because of your caring concern and consistent generosity. I hope that, in these times of uncommon urgency, we can count on you once again to be the partner we desperately need to uphold democracy.
At this critical moment, I urge you to once again stand with us by stepping up with your Year End Contribution today.
Or give another amount >>
It is because of your support -- and your continued advocacy and attention -- that we are able to fight for the long haul to defend the values we hold dear.
Together in Common Cause, we can once more make history.
Thank you.
Karen Hobert Flynn, President
and the team at Common Cause
