A teacher in Pennsylvania named Kate Fritz created the GoFundMe campaign to buy Senator Pat Toomey’s vote, hoping she could persuade him to vote NO on DeVos by raising as much money as DeVos has given him ($55,800). Tonight her campaign was featured on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC.
Kate has nearly met her goal (although she raised it to $60,100, probably after discovering another DeVos PAC).
In two days, 3380 people have donated $55,655.
Suppose Kate raises $70,000? Will DeVos match it? Will Toomey switch his vote?
More important, should we crowdsource the purchase The votes of other senators? Would we get into a bidding war with the DeVos family?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Reminds me of an old joke whose punchline is —
“We’ve already established what you are, now we’re just haggling over the price.”
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Jon, exactly!
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What happens when you raise the money and he still votes for her. Does he deserve the money? Do you save it for an alternative good cause or return it? I would give it to Murkowski or Collins–they are going to catch hell from Senate Republicans especially if Pence has to break the tie. I am a conservative–but I am with you all on this one.
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Someone else pointed out that it is possible Murkowski and Collins have permission from the party. If they are up for reelection in two years, it gives them some cover, and Pence can break the tie. If someone else votes against DeVos, it will be interesting to watch the party reaction. Someone will be ostracized for the defection or maybe not. I find it hard to believe there aren’t a few Republicans who will breathe a sigh of relief even if they didn’t have the guts to vote against her themselves. Whatever the strategy we know the bottom line is the Republicans want to hang on to DeVos money.
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Senator recusals because they received money from DeVos, would be a win, too.
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Kate Fritz has designated three charities that will get the money. The charities help children in Pennsylvania, unlike Toomey
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April, thank you for your candor. I actually think that incessant calls to republican senators from people like yourself (urging a “no” vote on DeVos) might be even more important than all of our “liberal” calls lumped together because you represent their constituency. This really is NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE – this is an issue of providing our nation with an education secretary who at the very least actually UNDERSTANDS and has EXPERIENCE in the areas where his/her leadership would be needed. It is not a partisan issue to want an education secretary who understands at a minimum the basics of public and higher education in America and who is not planning to go against our country’s Foundations by allowing Church and State to be one in order to serve a personal vision at the exclusion of We The People. Thank you again April. Your comment gives me hope that some day liberal and conservatives and those in between will recognize the need to work together honestly and fairly for the benefit of ALL.
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Experience in the education field is no longer a valued commodity.
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Thank you Kate Fritz for GoFundMe. The business of government has become that bald-faced. Everything is for sale. Until now high-priced lobbyists have been brokers seeking to have politicians pass laws that advantage their clients. Soon the pols (like athletes) will have agents offering their services to the highest bidders–vying for actions that favor their interests. DeVos is making the nature of the game grossly obvious. It will be out in the open. And executive orders will be issued to maximize the extent to which legislators can benefit from their positions and the competition they can stir up when the forces of the not-so-free market operate.
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Let me second your gratitude to Kate. Although this stuff has been going on for decades, most people think their elected representatives are working as independent actors. Perhaps they once did, but that was in the very distant past. Now, it’s all about ‘team play’.
Kate has brilliantly brought out the role of money in a creative way. We all need to support her.
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I donated twice and I am particularly happy that a couple of deserving Pennsylvania charities that help not harm children will benefit I say this partly because I hope no one has to go to the gulag for supporting such parody and making a mockery of our legal, political and education industry establishments. I say all of this somewhat in jest but then again these days, you never really know.
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For cryin’out loud, I must have died and went than alternate reality where up is down, and everything I knew, everything I trusted to be true, is over.
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How revolting can Trump get? Twice I’ve had to take a break from reading the news because my mind can’t stand it. How many of his loyal followers are figuring out that they made a mistake? Hope the number is growing.
This comes from the NYT:
President Trump with Stephen Schwarzman, chief executive of the Blackstone Group, at the White House. Mr. Trump on Friday signed an executive order seeking to review a rule that would have forced financial professionals to act in customers’ best interest when giving advice about their retirement accounts.Fiduciary Rule Is Now in Question. What’s Next for Investors.
By RON LIEBER
What should consumers do now that President Trump is trying to kill a rule that would have forced investment professionals to act in customers’ best interests?
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I just read this one. Unbelievable!!
The House of Representatives voted Thursday, mostly along partisan lines, to stop the Social Security Administration from telling the FBI about disability insurance recipients who have mental impairments that should disqualify them from buying guns. The Obama administration pushed the measure as part of a broader gun control effort following the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The Social Security Administration finalized the rule in December. Republicans and the National Rifle Association blasted the initiative as unconstitutional gun-grabbing. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) introduced legislation to block the rule last year. ‘We need to protect rights of all Americans, including individuals with disabilities,’ Johnson said then, referring to Second Amendment rights.” [HuffPost]
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It does not bother you that this activity is a VIOLATION of 18 USC 597? Vote buying is illegal … fraud.
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Linda,
Toomey’s vote was already bought by DeVos.
The money raised will go to three children’s charities in Pennsylvania.
Were you upset that DeVos bought the votes of half the Republican senators?
Or is your concern limited only to a publicity stunt to embarrass those whose votes are already bought?
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My concern is that you seem to condone the violation of Federal Law … for what ever reason.
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Do you condone the DeVos family buying half the Republican Senators?
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Do you not get that it was a publicity stunt?
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I like the publicity stunt! I think it’s brilliant. Toomey will not change his vote, of course, since it would be a clear, public (unlike Devos) acceptance of a bribe. But it’s good to know that the money will go to a good cause. This was a very creative, artistic act.
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It’s a shame that Linda Giffin doesn’t appear to care about, America being robbed of its democracy, by the richest 0.1%.
One family gave Toomey and his fellow Republican senators, between $20,000 and $60,000 each. How many citizens pooled together, at the GoFundMe page? About 3500.
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Yeah, Linda doesn’t care that billionaires buy Senators. She’s very upset that thousands of people have crowdsourced enough to embarrass Toomey. He was already bought by DeVos
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And the teacher’s union bought two republicans … They are both wrong.
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Linda,
You really think that the unions bought the votes of Murkowski and Collins? Murkowski has received large sums from Betsy DeVos.
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I do not support contributions … period. They are there to do the job of the people, not become a typical, “bought” politician.
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Linda,
NONE of the parent-teacher raised dollars will go to the politicians, they were already bought by DeVos!
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Diane, I think Devos is more like a red herring. The DOE is not an entity supported by the Constitution. Education is a “local” control issue.
Our kids are behind BEFORE THEY EVEN GET TO SCHOOL! In Germany and other countries a child knows numbers, alphabet, colors,shapes, writing, etc before they even start school.. Is it any wonder we are only the middle of the pack, so to speak?
I have kids, grandkids and great-grandkids, alll have introduced to learning throughout “non U.S. methods. Because of this I am not surprised that the first grader is performing at a 4th grade level and that is why the school cannot “cope” with him. The 5th grader has been tested for entry into a gifted math program, but is on the waiting list. Regular school says he is failing and uninterested. The third grader is like a sponge and is constantly seeking more to learn. He is already looking at college classes … because they INTEREST him. Kids like this fall through the cracks to often and will continue to do so unless our schools become more localized and not nationalized.
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Linda,
Why do you think Betsy DeVos should be Secretary of Education?
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Not many times I might agree with you Linda. But when I first heard this the aphorism “Two wrongs don’t make a right” came to mind. With a little more “research” I’ve come to the conclusion that “buying a vote” wasn’t the intent.
I understand the intent, which I don’t believe is to “buy a vote” but to point out the vote buying of DeVos, and there is no doubt that is what she and her ilk have been doing for years. So actually what the person running this fundraiser is trying to do is to raise awareness of DeVos’s vote buying (the ethical minimum that any Senator who has received “donations” from her and her family is to recuse themselves from the vote).
Nothing wrong with pointing out the hypocrisy of the regressive religious right!
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Some of the Devos contributions dated back to the 1980’s. At what point would there be a cut-off for considering the relevance to her current situation?
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Since I don’t have a listing of those “contributions” or might we call them “payouts” or “payoffs”, can you supply a link that has that information. TIA, Duane
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http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/spectacular_betrayal_as_trump_hands_economy_back_over_to_wall_street_201702
Drumph & Wall Street. This is what we are up against
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It’s antithetical to democratic values for the richest 0.1% to give money to politicians, and then, for the same politicians to hire, the donors, to develop policies that benefit the rich.
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It somehow doesn’t seem right to buy the votes of senators but if that’s how the game is played, then so be it.
>
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Pat Toomey’s vote has already been bought. This is a symbolic gesture meant to show how the game works and whom Sen Toomey represents.
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Kate made it clear that this was a satirical jab at the system and that she certainly had no intention of bribing a government official. Unfortunately, people who don’t read the fine print will take it seriously…gee, if they could it, so can I! I personally think it’s a brilliant way to shed a spotlight on politics!
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This bidding war is actually a satire, isn’t it? No cabaret could do better!
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Diane and all, I applaud the idea of countering Toomey’s “bought vote” with this public campaign to expose and ridicule the way DeVos uses her money to drown out our voices. But is it possible to counter ALL the donations to all the candidates all the time?
I suggest the alternative is flipping the script, that is making billionaire, corporate or PAC money toxic so it hurts the candidate. The way to carry this out could be a system of vote-pledging, or using real votes by real people en masse to counter the influence of money.
The idea has been brewing for a while, but I wrote this just after the election and wonder if you or your readers might take a look and comment?
View at Medium.com
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And then there’s this, ginning up online Pro-DeVos chatter and paid by her own favorite c4 AFC:
http://bit.ly/2ktcvE1
Although it’s not out of character for AFC to spend money to buy influence, this kind of campaign—paying a third-party to get other people to fill out online forms for pennies—is unusual. “I’ve never seen this sort of thing before,” Adam Smith, communications director at Every Voice, a nonprofit tracking money in politics, told Jezebel. “With normal astroturfing you see promoted posts on Facebook, on Twitter,” he said, but this is “fairly unique.” It’s also indicative of the weakness of her support: “The only people that support her are people that she gives money or the people that work for her.”
Subtle– she will be a helluva cabinet official– emphasis on HELL
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A read of “Dark Money” by Jane Mayer is in order for anyone who is shocked by this dialog. Our Republican senators were all ensconced in a Florida, senator for purchase event with the billionaires.
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