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Dear John,
The corporate takeover of American politics was rapid and ruthless.
While working for the FTC in 1976, I watched firsthand as tens of thousands of corporate lobbyists descended on Washington. Fast forward to today, and lobbying has become a $3.7 billion dollar industry. How did this happen?
As our most recent video explains, it all began with a seemingly obscure memo written by Lewis Powell — a corporate attorney who would later go on to become a Supreme Court justice.
In 1971, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce asked Powell to draft a memo on the state of the country.
His memo argued that the American economic system was “under broad attack” from consumer, labor, and environmental groups.
In reality, these groups simply wanted to ensure corporations were responsive to all their stakeholders — workers, consumers, and the environment — not just their shareholders or their bottom lines.
But Powell and the Chamber saw it differently.
In his memo, Powell urged businesses to mobilize for political combat, and stressed that the critical ingredients for success were joint organizing and funding.
The Chamber distributed the memo to leading CEOs, large businesses, and trade associations — hoping to persuade them that Big Business could dominate American politics in ways not seen since the Gilded Age.
It worked.
Powell’s memo set off a flurry of corporate lobbying and campaign donations in our nation’s Capitol — and his influence on our political system didn’t end there. Powell's later work on the Supreme Court would further chip away at restrictions on corporate power in politics — eventually paving the way for Citizens United.
But despite the success of this memo and catastrophic rulings by SCOTUS on campaign finance laws, the battle isn’t over. Big Business has not yet won.
I believe that now may be our best opportunity in decades to take on corporate power — at the ballot box, in the workplace, and in Washington. Watch our video to learn more about how you can join the fight.
We must take on the corporate oligarchy and get America back on track.
Thanks for watching,
Robert Reich
Inequality Media
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