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Common Cause

 
Sci-Tech Dictionary: common cause
(′käm·ən ′köz)

(analytical chemistry) A cause of variability in a measurement process that is inherent in and common to the process itself.


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Idioms: common cause
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A joint interest, as in "The common cause against the enemies of piety" (from John Dryden's poem, Religio laici, or a Layman's Faith, 1682). This term originated as to make common cause (with), meaning "to unite one's interest with another's." In the mid-1900s the name Common Cause was adopted by a liberal lobbying group.


 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Common Cause
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Common Cause, U.S. organization that seeks a "reordering of national priorities and revitalization of the public process to make our political and governmental institutions more responsive to the needs of the nation and its citizens." Established in 1970 by John W. Gardner, it succeeded the Urban Coalition Action Council, founded in 1968. Common Cause supports a large number of political reforms, including campaign finance reform, government ethics and accountability, and nuclear control agreements. It has sponsored voter registration drives nation-wide and has worked for a liberalization of voting registration. Common Cause has used ads, computerized Federal Election Commission records, lobbying, media outreach and especially litigation to promote reform. Its legal actions helped force disclosure of individuals and corporations that had anonymously contributed money to the 1972 presidential campaign. In 1991 its ad campaign, aimed at toughening a campaign finance bill containing no aggregate limit on PAC money for Congressmen, criticized Democratic Congressmen for collecting special interest money for campaigns. Located in Washington, D.C., the group has about 200,000 members.


Wikipedia: Common Cause
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Common Cause is a nonpartisan, nonprofit citizens' lobby and advocacy organization[1]. The organization was founded in 1970 by Republican former cabinet secretary under Lyndon Johnson John W. Gardner with a mission focused on making U.S. political institutions more open and accountable.[2]

Common Cause's current President and Chief Executive Officer is Robert W. Edgar,[3][4] former Democratic Congressman from Pennsylvania. It has offices in 36 states, and is funded by dues and contributions from its nearly 400,000 members and supporters.[5]

Contents

Mission and issues

Common Cause’s mission is: “Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to restoring the core values of American democracy, reinventing an open, honest and accountable government that serves the public interest, and empowering ordinary people to make their voices heard in the political process.”.[6]

Common Cause focuses on five broad issues;

  • Money in Politics
  • Election Reform
  • Ethics in Government
  • Government Accountability
  • Media and Democracy

and also weighs in on health care, environmental and defense topics.

Money in Politics

Common Cause’s most well known issue is that of campaign finance reform. In 1974 Common Cause led the effort to pass the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), creating the system of public financing in presidential campaigns in use today.[7]

At the state level, Common Cause has led successful efforts to pass campaign finance reforms, including the first disclosure laws, contribution limits and public financing in states such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Jersey, Michigan, Kentucky, Connecticut, and Florida.

Common Cause is currently working on legislation for voluntary public financing in Maryland, New Mexico and other states.

Election Reform

Election Voting Machines: Common Cause advocates a voter-verified paper audit trail for election machines in all states. On January 30, 2008, Common Cause and the Verified Voting Foundation released a report entitled “Voting at Risk 2008” highlighting the problems with electronic voting machines. The report listed 17 states as “High-Risk”.[8][9]

National Popular Vote: Common Cause is in favor of establishing a national popular vote for presidential elections to replace the current electoral college system.

DC Voting Rights: Since 2005 Common Cause has advocated giving the District of Columbia voting rights in Congress.[10]

Media and Democracy

Common Cause's Media and Democracy department focuses on media ownership, network neutrality and community broadband.

Ethics in Government

Common Cause was instrumental in passage of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, which was enacted on September 14, 2007. The bill strengthens public disclosure requirements concerning lobbying activity and funding, places more restrictions on gifts for members of Congress and their staff, and provides for mandatory disclosure of earmarks in expenditure bills.[11]

Government Accountability

In 1972, Common Cause sued President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign, the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP), under the Corrupt Practices Act for failure to report campaign contributions. This high-profile case forced Nixon to expose his secret list of donors and aided in his ultimate downfall two years later.[12]

Common Cause Magazine

From 1980 through 1996, Common Cause published the self-named Common Cause Magazine.[13] The magazine, once termed "the little magazine that could,"[14] and described by the Washington Post as "a deeply researched, finger-in-your-eye sort of periodical"[15], paralleled the work of Common Cause and focused on issues such as campaign finance and government accountability.

The magazine won more than two dozen journalism awards, including five from Investigative Reporters and Editors, as well as a National Magazine Award for General Excellence.[15]

According to a Washington Post article, Common Cause was considering acquiring the Washington Monthly magazine. [15] However, the National Governing Board voted against the Washington Monthly acquisition at its spring 2008 meeting.

References

  1. ^ Jeffrey H. Birnbaum (February 19, 2008). "Common Cause, Washington Monthly Explore a Common Future". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/18/AR2008021802285_pf.html. 
  2. ^ PBS, John W. Gardner Accessed February 29, 2008
  3. ^ Associated Press (25 May, 2007). "NCC's Edgar to Head Secular Advocacy Group" (html). Christian Post. http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070525/27610_NCC%5C's_Edgar_to_Head_Secular_Advocacy_Group.htm. 
  4. ^ Shawn Zeller (29 May, 2007). "Five Questions for Bob Edgar" (html). CQ Weekly on Yahoo! News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20070529/pl_cq_politics/fivequestionsforbobedgarcommoncausepresidentandceo. 
  5. ^ Common Cause Website, About Us Accessed February 29, 2008
  6. ^ [1] Accessed August 10, 2009
  7. ^ "Common Cause's uncommon role" (html). Christian Science Monitor. 5 September 1980. http://www.csmonitor.com/1980/0905/090512.html. "The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), encompassing public financing of presidential campaigns and oversight of campaign ethics through the Federal Election Commission clearly is the citizen lobby's major accomplishment." 
  8. ^ "Voting at Risk 2008 Report" (html). Common Cause. 30 January 2008. http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=3878953. 
  9. ^ "Six States at 'High' Risk for Voting Machine Mishaps on Super Tuesday" (html). 31 January 2008. http://www.foxbusiness.com/article/states-high-risk-voting-machine-mishaps-super-tuesday_460540_1.html. 
  10. ^ Common Cause Website: DC Voting Rights Accessed February 29, 2008
  11. ^ Common Cause website: Ethics in Government Accessed February 29, 2008
  12. ^ Salinger, Lawrence M. (2005). Encyclopedia of White-Collar & Corporate Crime. Encyclopedia of White-Collar & Corporate Crime. pp. 123. ISBN 0761930043. 
  13. ^ Robert Trautman. ""Common Cause Magazine."" (html). commoncause.org. http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=1355211. 
  14. ^ Debra Puchalla (March 1997). ""The Little Magazine That Could"" (html). American Journalism Review. http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=2261. 
  15. ^ a b c "Jeffrey H. Birnbaum - Common Cause, Washington Monthly Explore a Common Future" (html). Washington Post. 19 February 2008. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/02/19/ST2008021901252.html. "It was a deeply researched, finger-in-your-eye sort of periodical that often did investigations about such matters as campaign finance and military contracting." 

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Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Common Cause" Read more