If they want our business, they need to keep their hands out of the U.S. election

 

Is your personal computer, favorite soft drink or search engine of choice helping to buy the U.S. election?

Tell Google, IBM, Pepsi and others to quit giving to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Chances are the U.S. election is making news in your country, no matter where you live. And that’s because whether or not you actually live in the U.S., the result of this election has ramifications for the entire world.

But this election isn’t like previous elections -- a U.S. Supreme Court decision has just given corporations the authority to spend unlimited amounts of money buying elections. And now, the shadowy trade group the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has committed to spend $100 million dollars ensuring that politicians who are friendly to mega-corporations -- those that pushed for the bank deregulation that led to the global economic downturn, worked to stall climate action, and those that fight for corporate profits before people -- get elected. If the Chamber succeeds, it will just be the beginning of the corporate takeover of U.S. elections -- and that’s why it's so exciting to see over 95% of the SumOfUs.org community voted for us to take on the Chamber.

We get it -- even though the U.S. election will have global ramifications, we can’t vote. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a say. The corporations that connect our families and feed our children are bankrolling these efforts, and if we raise our voices together, we can show them that if they want our business, they need to keep their hands out of the U.S. election.

Tell Google, Pepsi, Microsoft, IBM, and other corporations: Quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

With plans to spend up to $100 million dollars influencing this election, the U.S. Chamber is one of the greatest threats to democracy in America. And since Citizens United opened the floodgates for corporate spending on elections, we can expect even worse in the future unless we work to shut it down now.

The good news is we have power over this situation. The Chamber’s corporate backers don’t want their brands associated with buying elections, cutting taxes for the rich, violating workers’ rights, and destroying the environment. SumOfUs.org members have already taken on some of the world’s largest corporations; together we dealt major blows to two of America’s most powerful right wing “think tanks,” ALEC and the Heartland Institute -- and we’re ready to do it again.

The U.S. Chamber’s destructive and short-sighted policies have already begun to alienate relatively responsible companies. Three years ago, Apple quit over the Chamber’s die-hard opposition to any climate legislation and Nike quit the executive committee. After the Chamber took a stand against internet freedom and backed SOPA and PIPA, Yahoo quit, and Google let it be known that it was considering leaving as well.

So put Google, Pepsi, Microsoft, IBM, and other corporations on notice: tell them to save their reputations and get out of the Chamber.

Thanks for standing up for our democracy,

Rob, Kaytee and the rest of us

SumOfUs is a world-wide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy. You can follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.