December 1, 2011

Buddy Roemer to Seek Nomination Through Dark Money-Fueled Group

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coda/2740581315/in/photostream/">Damien de Toit</a>/Flickr; <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/americanselect.557749358">Americans Elect</a>/Cafe Press

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Republican presidential long shot Buddy Roemer is throwing his lot in with Americans Elect, the weird, not-actually-a-third-party-but-come-on political group I wrote about last week. The group’s catchy sell: it will allow registered voters to select a presidential nominee over the internet.

Roemer’s announcement, via Dave Weigel:

Today I officially announce that I will seek the Americans Elect nomination as a proud Republican but as an even prouder American.

Our country is on the wrong track and Americans are in search of real leadership. Leadership that isn’t predetermined by lobbyists, political parties, or Wall Street executives, but leadership that is free to do what is right for the citizens of our great nation.

Many Americans are unemployed or without health insurance, or both. Some have been foreclosed on or about to be foreclosed on. Sadly, the list goes on and on. From the Tea Party movement to the Occupy Wall Street movement, it is safe to say Americans have lost faith in their government and neither President Obama nor Congress have put aside politics in order to help their fellow Americans.

I will take my message of ending business as usual in Washington directly to the American people. No other candidate is free from the special interests or has the experience I have. I am a former governor, four-term congressman, successful businessman and Harvard-educated economist. And yet, the Republican Party has not allowed me in the debates. Perhaps they don’t like my message about the corrupting influence of money in politics. But, I believe the American people want to hear the message, so I’m going to seek the nomination of Americans Elect which appears eager to welcome diverse and controversial opinions that may upset the status quo.

I will continue to campaign for the Republican nomination and hope to surprise everyone on January 10 in New Hampshire.

Americans Elect wants to upend the political process by allowing registered voters to nominate a presidential ticket that’s beholden to neither party. But it has come under heavy scrutiny for its a shadowy bureaucratic hierarchy and refusal to disclose its donors. How that latter piece squares with Roemer’s criticism of the current, broken campaign finance system is unclear.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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