ACP Platform Principles Summary

These are in no order of importance please check out the full platform plank for full details if more details are listed in following sections.

Campaign & Lobbyist Reform- Bringing true lasting reform by ending special interest influence in Washington and getting their money out of the pockets of America’s leaders.

It is up to the American people to demand accountability from their elected officials. Special interest money is what is driving power and action in Washington. This should not be; money is an unfortunate reality of political campaigns. However an organization should not be able to drown out the voices and donations of average Americans. That is why the ACP pledges and has written in our ACP Constitution to never take money from special interests and to work to make it illegal for elected officials or candidates to do so. Most Americans don’t have the ability to join organizations that contribute special interest money, how is that fair, how is that democratic for their voices and donations be dwarfed these organizations. That is why the ACP supports eliminating special interest and lobbying donations to federal officials. If these organizations want to donate money for political purposes their members can do so as individuals, just like all Americans have the right to do. This will bring back fairness and end unbalanced special interest influence in Washington. The ACP supports a plan to bring this about:

1. The ACP supports upgrading the Public Disclosure of Federal Lobbyists. Currently it is listed on the Senate website, however like a lot of Government Websites, it is complicated and not very user friendly unless you know absolute specifics of lobbyist information.

a. Create an individual website for lobbyist Public Disclosure and make it user friendly and include quarterly updated lists of lobbyists, contact info and who they work for.
b. Also include on this website who these lobbyists have talked to in Congress and any and all financial payments from lobbyist on behalf of their interest to Representative or Senator.

2. Congressional and executive branch buildings need to be lobbyist free. Only lobbyist contact should be in official meetings to full view of the public.
a. These meetings will have official minutes, be broadcast on the internet and over government related television station (C-SPAN or Public Television).
b. All Congressional or Executive branch officials must upon request by a constituent mail or email official records of transactions of lobbyist money received to that constituent.

3. All Political Action Committees (PAC’s), 527 and 501(c) groups will no longer be able to spend any money on any political advertising or influencing, regardless of not advocating a specific candidates election or defeat. PAC’s will still be able to “lobby” elected officials with reasoned arguments on behalf of their members.

4. Candidates who self finance their own campaigns may spend no more than 250,000 dollars of their own personal money for an entire election, including exploratory committees, primary and general elections.