People who contribute get the ear of the member and the ear of the staff. They have the access and access is it. Access is power. Access is clout. That's how this thing works.
- Rep. Romano Mazzoli

The problems of money in American campaigns are not new. In 1972, the rampant corruption in the Nixon administration led to campaign finance reform. Now, forty years later, we can ask ourselves: are we satisfied with our campaign finance laws? From lofty legislation to grounding Supreme Court cases, the problems of money in American campaigns and politics has only been exacerbated by the rulings in Citizens United and Speechnow.org.

In 1972, Nixon and his challenger, McGovern, raised a combined $94 million. (There were no requirements to disclose donors). In 2012, Super PACs are projected to raise hundreds of millions of dollars and many of the donors will not be disclosed. Larger than ever before, corporate, union and an overall small group of donors will fund these campaigns, but Americans will not know. What can we learn from the corrupt election cycle and Watergate Scandals of 1972? In steps CREEP Super PAC.

Learn: The Return of CREEP and a New Mission

Based at the Watergate Complex, CREEP Super PAC supports any candidate, organization and individual who supports these three values:

1. Reform the tax code to prevent anonymous donations to Super PACs (independent expenditure committees).
2. Strengthen our presidential financing system to avoid the corrosive problems of fundraising and money in elections.
3. Highlight the problems (and solutions) of the past so we can build a more democratic system and lessen the influence of money in politics.

Act: Sign the Petition

Sign our Change.org petition asking for Super PACs to request full disclosure of the large donors from contributing non-profits.

Share: Raise your voice

Tell your family, friends and neighbors about the lack of disclosure in elections and why it matters. Only through civic action can we encourage our public leaders to reform the system. Visit our Facebook page and Twitter.

Leadership

Robert Lucas is the Founder and Treasurer of CREEP Super PAC. He is a Master of Public Policy student at Georgetown University and survey design certificate student at The George Washington University. Visit www.robertlucas.net to learn more.