‘We the People’ need to be we the voters in ’14

This week, Network’s Nuns on the Bus are back in Iowa on a shiny new bus to launch a campaign against big money’s capacity to distort — even destroy — our nation’s democratic principles.

Some pundits have already dubbed our new “Nuns on the Bus” journey “Nuns vs. the Koch Brothers.” But our bus ride is about something far bigger than that.

We all know that wealth and income disparities in our nation have grown tremendously in recent years. Those who are poor have grown proportionally poorer, and those with the greatest wealth have grown far richer.

As if that weren’t bad enough, we now have billions of dollars pouring into election campaigns from people and corporations at the top of the wealth ladder, mangling our democratic ideals. Huge amounts are “donated” in order to elect candidates friendly to the interests of the donors. And the donors aren’t even required to disclose who they are. Common Cause, a watchdog group, calls our current system of financing political campaigns “a system of legalized bribery.”

Because so much money is gushing into our political process, we are left with an electorate pummeled by political advertising, growing increasingly disgusted with attack ads and disillusioned with the dysfunction in Washington. A discouraged electorate too turned off to vote means that wealthy donors get more bang for the buck. Their voices grow ever louder and more powerful, making it easier for Congress to pay attention only to them. This hurts all of us. This hurts the 100 percent.

And that is wrong.

Our current “Nuns on the Bus” trip comes two years after our original journey, which also began in Iowa. This trip continues our campaign to lift up the power of community to create justice for the 100 percent.

Our first trip grew out of the fact that my organization had suddenly become famous a few weeks earlier when the Vatican criticized us and Catholic sisters in general. Their charge: We spent too much time working for the needs of people at the economic margins of our society instead of speaking out on other issues favored by the Catholic hierarchy. Our response: Let’s use our sudden fame in furtherance of our work for justice for all.

Two years ago, in a spirit-filled moment, we decided to climb aboard a brightly colored bus in order to connect with the people, lift up the work of Catholic sisters and tell the nation that Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget should be defeated since it would decimate programs meant to help people in poverty. Since that first trip, Network’s Nuns on the Bus have also gone on the road for immigration reform and Medicaid expansion.

Emblazoned on this year’s bus are the words “We the People, We the Voters.” In this election year, we are hitting the road to say “enough is enough.” We are telling our nation that voters must turn out in record numbers to counter the corrupting power of big money and to elect candidates who will govern for the 100 percent. Our Constitution does not say “We the Rich People.” Instead, it’s all about “We the People,” all of us, building a more perfect union.

Iowa is a great state in which to begin our new bus trip. Out-of-state billionaires are pouring large sums of money into the Iowa election. Their interests are their own, not those of the people of Iowa.

Iowa also serves as a perfect example of what it means to govern for the 100 percent. A state with strong rural areas and strong urban centers will only be strengthened overall when it is governed for the benefit all, not just one section or another. That is the fair and effective way to move forward.

While traveling through Iowa, I will be joined on the bus by Catholic sisters who live in the state, and we will connect with people in many different communities. For example, we will be part of a rally at the Capitol in Des Moines. We will engage in voter registration efforts in different communities. We will host town halls in Sioux City and Dubuque. We will visit people at direct service agencies. And we will take part in a gubernatorial debate watch party. We look forward to connecting with people around the state.

I want to make it clear that we Nuns on the Bus are not on the road to promote specific candidates or legislative actions to counter unregulated campaign funding. Instead, we are focused on energizing the electorate. Getting large numbers of voters to the polls will mean that all voices will be heard, not just those of the wealthy and powerful. Currently, a dollar cannot vote. Only people can vote. So the best way forward is to turn out as many people as possible to vote. This is the power of democracy.

Our messaging is simple: Vote! Encourage and help others to vote! Be a part of our democracy. It is what we need to “form a more perfect union.”

In addition to individual voter commitments, we are urging workplaces, parishes, congregations and neighborhoods to pledge to get all of their members to vote. We want all organizations to become “100 percent voters” in the 2014 election.

Every vote counts, but none of us can do it alone. It is by acting together that We the People will create governance for the 100 percent. Use your vote to stand up against “big money.” We the People are desperately needed to work together for the 100 percent.

THE AUTHOR:

SISTER SIMONE CAMPBELL is executive director of Network, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, and author of “A Nun on the Bus: How All of Us Can Create Hope, Change and Community.” People can follow Network’s Nuns on the Bus at www.nunsonthebus.org.