This particular video reaches out to everyone who is running as a populist-progressive in the November 2018 election, an attempt to persuade them that the candidate contracts represent a powerful, decisive method for defeating centrist neoliberal establishment opponents and winning the election.
The text of the video follows.
Hi there!
Are you a people’s candidate? A populist or progressive candidate for Congress in the coming election who is serious about winning?
Then you’ve come to the right place!
Citizens Against Plutocracy is an organization dedicated to restoring representative democracy to America and taking our country back from the ruling elite and big corporations.
We are promoting nationally a comprehensive, game-changing electoral strategy which will set a new high standard for integrity, transparency, honesty, and accountability in electoral politics!
The election cycle has become a three-ring circus.
In ring one are the two major parties, in the second ring the media, and in the center ring the politicians themselves, who now as part of standard operating procedure lie to and mislead the voting public. They put on a spectacular show but it’s a dazzling fraud.
The American people are the victims of this hoax.
We intend to put a stop to this thoroughly destructive charade, this mockery of our citizen-based form of self-government. We’ll do this by replacing those corrupt politicians, who have become both the perpetrators and the beneficiaries of our fake democracy.
The American people know and widely agree on what they want. Those now in office, installed by the corrupted major parties exclusively serving the interests of a ruling class — a plutocracy of wealthy and powerful individuals and corporate entities — will never deliver what the American people desire and deserve. This is now a matter of record, completely beyond dispute.
Our government exclusively serves a tiny clique — literally the .1% — of incomprehensibly rich and powerful aristocrats.
You candidates running for federal office in November 2018, who are on the side of the vast majority of citizens — we call you populist candidates because you reflect the popular will — who are willing to guarantee faithful service to your future constituents, represent the voting public honestly and transparently, bring to elected office unwavering integrity and commitment on key issues . . . YOU ARE THE FOLKS WE’RE HERE TO HELP.
We’ve identified 11 initiatives which are supported by 62% – 80% of Americans across the political spectrum, and if you agree with the vast consensus of the voting public on these causes, you easily meet the new high standards we’ve established with our electoral strategy. YOU are the ‘good guys’ in this ugly contest of political will — the electoral cage fight — and YOU are the ones we intend to send to Washington DC in November 2018.
Let me now give you our list of what the vast majority of everyday citizens want done, and see if you agree on most, if not all of the following.
Reputable and highly reliable polls say . . .
63% of Americans want a federal minimum wage of $15.00 per hour.
75% of voters want fair trade agreements protecting jobs, workers, the environment.
76% of voters want a cut back on military spending.
76% of voters want the U.S. completely out of Afghanistan.
79% of voters want no reductions in Social Security, 70% support expanding it.
79% of voters want no reductions in Medicare.
80% of voters oppose the “Citizens United” U.S. Supreme Court decision.
68% of voters think taxes on the wealthy should be increased, and corporations should be required to pay their fair share.
71% of voters support massive infrastructure renewal.
65% of voters want laws to combat climate change.
62% of voters want tuition free public colleges and universities.If these represent what you’d like to get done when you get elected, then YOU ARE BY DEFINITION a populist candidate. YOU have the strength of the numbers behind you. YOU have the American people behind you. YOU have forward-looking, proactive organizations like Citizens Against Plutocracy behind you.
Now all you have to do is convince the voters that you’re for real, and that your opponents are not.
Sounds like it should be easy . . . but as we all know, it’s not. If you don’t have huge piles of money in your campaign coffers and the nitro-methane burning engines of either major party propelling your campaign, it’s nearly impossible.
That’s precisely where our strategy comes in!
That’s where our strategy will make a grand entrance on the political stage, break down the media barriers, put you dead center in the voting public’s eye, and give you the spotlight and a platform to effectively reach the voters. YOU will finally have that voice you need, and that new voice will resonate over the din of cheap campaign rhetoric coming from your opponents. Citizens will finally get some straight talk — not the usual mumbo jumbo — and know with certainty that YOU are on their side and will work for them.
You see . . . if you agreed with most of the items I just mentioned, you’ve passed our test with flying colors.
But . . . and this is a very big decisive ’BUT’ . . .
YOUR OPPONENTS FAIL SPECTACULARLY.
Especially the incumbents! Despite what they say, despite their vague but pleasant sounding rhetoric, their vaporous campaign slogans and sound bites, despite all the PR and hype they pump out using enormous sums of cash from their deep-pocketed ruling elite benefactors, we will show unambiguously and decisively that THEY ARE FULL OF HOT AIR and NOT ON THE SIDE OF THE EVERYDAY CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY!
Think about it . . .
If so many everyday citizens want these things done, why does none of it ever make it through Congress? Why if anything does make it through the legislative labyrinth, the very opposite happens? How do all of these very popular ideas get compromised, chipped away, whittled down, eventually replaced by legislation which shafts the 99% of our once great nation?
That’s easy!
Because the current batch of elected officials don’t work for the people. They work for their rich and powerful patrons, the transnational corporations, Wall Street, hedge funds, investment banks, the ruling elite who are stripping our country of its resources, looting all of us of our wealth and any hope of a better life . . . and destroying the American dream.
How do they get away with this?
That’s also easy.
The American public either isn’t paying attention, or when they are, through ruthless and self-serving lies, voters are constantly misled, kept confused, overwhelmed, immersed in fear, rendered hopeless.
AND THAT HAS GOT TO STOP! THAT WILL STOP!
No more lies. No more games. We’re drawing a big, wide line in the sand. Voters will see in clear, stark terms who’s on their side and who isn’t.
Which brings us now to the strategy. The CFAR National Electoral Strategy.
We have created a powerful mechanism for demonstrating to the voting public that YOU, the populist candidate, are the real deal, and your mainstream centrist neoliberal opponents are a FRAUD.
This is a completely original, unprecedented, outside-the-box creation. So don’t bother Googling it. You won’t find it anywhere except at this website. At least for now. We don’t have any doubt that this will quickly become the new standard in this coming election cycle for replacing ‘bad guy’ neoliberal pay-for-play politicos, with ‘good guy’ populist progressives . . . like YOU!
What we’ve come up with is called the CFAR . . . Contract For American Renewal.
Yes . . . it’s a contract.
But before that C-word generates a lot of misgivings and misunderstandings, let me make two very critical points.
PLEASE pay very close attention.
1) The contract is not really about you.
2) The contract is about defeating your opponents and winning the election.
So . . . as I explain how it works, keep these two very simple but vitally important thoughts right there in the front of your mind. Otherwise you may misunderstand what a powerful and decisive methodology we’re offering you. So I’ll repeat:
1) The contract is not really about you.
2) The contract is about defeating your opponents and winning the election.
Yes, you’ll sign a contract. But bear in mind, the things on the contract are the very things you already stand for. They list the things you already plan on doing when you get elected. You saw what huge majorities of everyday citizens want. These are the things that any true populist-progressive candidate also wants. They reflect the popular will of the American public.
Moreover, YOU’LL CUSTOMIZE AND CREATE THE CONTRACT THAT YOU’RE COMFORTABLE WITH, listing just the items that are central to your campaign and pivotal in getting you elected. We provide a template listing 11 items, based on the above polls. But you decide which ones work for you in your particular campaign. We are not dictating terms to you. You’re in charge here. There may even be other populist-progressive items which are specific to your district and your future constituents. We understand that. The contract is flexible. We trust your judgment and know that as a populist-progressive candidate, you’ll do what’s in the best interests of your constituents.
The important thing is . . . THAT YOU USE THE CONTRACT!
Why?
Because it delivers a clear, unambiguous message to voters: You are on their side. Your opponents are not. You are the ‘good guy’ working for them. Your opponents are the ‘bad guys’ who’ll say anything to get elected and deliver nothing for the people.
THAT’S why we’re pushing this strategy. Because for once, truth and honesty will defeat money and propaganda, and we’ll get a Congress that works for everyone, not just the rich and powerful. It’s been a long time coming!
Why are we so confident this is going to work and reshape electoral politics?
I’ll tell you why.
In the first place, voters want certainty. They’re sick of smoke and mirrors, they’re fed up with hollow campaign promises.
THIS CONTRACT TAKES THE GUESSWORK OUT OF VOTING. Voters will see what you’ve put in your contract. They’ll know with CERTAINTY, exactly what you’ll be doing for them from day one when you arrive in Washington DC.
But keep in mind, the contract — while decisive and powerful in getting you elected — only locks you in on those items in the contract. Is this restrictive? Is this controlling? How can it be? These are the things you yourself have chosen for the contract, the things you’d be doing anyway, with or without the contract. Would you hesitate to sign a contract requiring you to breathe? We assume unless you’re a fish, you intend to breathe anyway.
Second, we’re pushing this nationally. You’ll be part of a populist juggernaut, organized across the entire nation to take on the assault by the rich and powerful on our democracy. WE’RE DEAD SERIOUS ABOUT THIS! We’re aiming to have a candidate in every single district with a contract in hand, ready to take on the establishment candidates. All 435 districts! It’s not going to do much good if you and only a handful of others get elected.
WE’RE GOING FOR BROKE!
The thing to recognize is this: We’ve got history on our side. This is the second time we’ll be saving America from the tyranny of autocratic rule. We did it once. Time has come for a SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION, putting power into the hands of everyday citizens, the folks who built this country and kept it strong until the banksters and corporate raiders swooped in like vultures and stole our democracy.
So the question you need to ask yourself is this: Are YOU with us? Are YOU ready for the fight of your life?
Are YOU ready to win this coming election and do your part in saving our democracy?
We have just you need to get started. And since we’re sure you have lots of questions, guess what? We’ve got lots of answers and many more ideas that I couldn’t touch on in this video.
WE’RE HERE FOR YOU!
Just click on this link and get started putting together a winning campaign.
For more information on the CFAR National Electoral Strategy, please click HERE.
You can download the CFAR (Contract For American Renewal) template in the format of your choice using the following links, then get to work customizing it for your campaign, reflecting the constituent values and priorities of your particular district. Or you may choose to adopt the entire contract as it is:
For more information on the CFAR National Electoral Strategy, please click HERE.
You can download the CFAR (Contract For American Renewal) template in the format of your choice using the following links, then get to work customizing it for your campaign, reflecting the constituent values and priorities of your particular district. Or you may choose to adopt the entire contract as it is:
House of Representatives – Word
House of Representatives – PDF
House of Representatives – Text
JOHN RACHEL —I produced the above video for Citizens Against Plutocracy, explaining my candidate contract concept, which now has been adopted and integrated by that organization as a featured component of their comprehensive strategy for putting in place a “people’s Congress” via the coming election. They call it the CFAR National Electoral Strategy. CFAR stands for Contract For American Renewal.
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This looks like an interesting idea , and in a field of “left” opposition that offers nothing truly tangible or creative, perhaps it is something to explore. Still there are many questions that I suppose can or will be answered as the concept is endorsed more widely. Thank you for posting!
L Willard
St Paul
Real life gets pretty basic. Everything comes down to survival. What the masses want is to be able to keep their families together, housed and fed. Many don’t have that today. When you don’t have that, all other issues fade into the background.
Is this project part of or allied with KICK THEM ALL OUT? (See http://www.kickthemallout.com). Seems to pursue a parallel approach and maybe they could be integrated. Thats for Mr Rachel to examine.
The risk expressed by the editor is very real. A successful reformist program puts off the deletion date for capitalism itself. FDR proved that admirably. And now look where we are. Except that FDR was doing his thing in the 1930s/40s when the very concept of a nuclear holocaust AND/OR a complete implosion of the planet’s ecosystems as a result of human industrial activity devoid of real scientific and moral perspective was a mere distant concern…I therefore support this notion with a great of caution. We have no more time to waste on recreating the illusion of a normalcy that… Read more »
I think the CFAR contracts are a POTENTIALLY brilliant idea ruined by outright lying. The contract itself claims to be “legally-binding.” The Revolt Against Plutocracy website walks back that PROVABLY false claim only slightly, saying, ” If a class action lawsuit is ever undertaken by constituents to compel a member of Congress to resign for breach of contract, we believe a CFAR agreement will challenge settled law if need be. ” One might wish RAP and John Rachel to explain why a contract that’s described without qualification as “legally-binding” will need to “CHALLENGE settled law if need to be.” To… Read more »
Patrick, you know full well you’re not a judge nor a legal scholar. You were supposed to lead the Progressive or Bust effort in 2018, but instead you’re striking out in anger and frustration because your pet project, an “Occupy-like movement” never budged. You dropped the ball, and now you’re pretending to be a judge in a courtroom passing judgement on a contract that a real judge may not agree with since the contract itself is “legally binding.” The only liar in this case is Patrick acting like he knows how a judge will respond in the future. Patrick is… Read more »
Clearly not the ONLY liar, especially because I’m NOT one. In an e-mail dated August 28 at 6;31 PM, you lied to me about the wording on the RAP page, claiming that the page said you believed your contracts would UNSUCCESSFULLY challenge case law, when in fact the word “unsuccessfully” does not appear in the relevant passage on the RAP website. Perhaps you rapidly changed it, since the word “unsuccessfully” would CLEARLY prove that the words “legally binding” in the actual contract are a lie. One does not claim a “contract” is legally binding and then state elsewhere that your… Read more »
We can sum this agenda up as “It’s just a middle class thing.” When you ask the better off what they want, their answers amount to “protecting the advantages of the better off.” Shocking, huh? And indeed, liberals have spent the last quarter-century promoting middle (later adopting “working”) class elitism at the expense of addressing reality. The fact is that our deregulated, you’re-on-your-own capitalist state is a failure leading us to economic collapse. We ended actual welfare aid in the 1990s, and the US lost over 5 million manufacturing jobs alone since 2000, and we pretend there are no consequences.… Read more »
The US is caught in a weird situation: In poorer nations, where the destitute are a huge segment and know their reality, revolutionaries can find many ears ready to listen, and a significant number ready to revolt. They have literally nothing to lose. Here, the crisis is blowing the middle class apart but many Americans are still working off of the fat accumulated, they still manage to cling to a number of consumerist platforms, even in the face of economic attrition and insecurity. That insulates them emotionally and intellectually from the urgent need to look at more radical solutions. They… Read more »
All of the comments so far are interesting and thought-provoking. LESLIE WILLARD and D.H. FABIAN: Yes, progressives often get high marks in theory but lack serious, workable, on-the-ground activism. This approach is an attempt to fill that need. It focuses on the real, everyday issues which affect the lives of everyday citizens, so in that sense it offers real solutions to real problems. Isn’t that what government is supposed to do? VEROLINGUE432: I had a “kick them all out” version of this three years ago, “Throw the bums out!” Thanks for the link. I’ll look into this. Our plan is… Read more »
If I have any personal animosity toward John Rachel, it’s because he attacked me viciously for simply politely raising this troubling issue of legality about his “contracts” under one of his OpEdNews articles on the subject. He essentially treated me as a benighted fool incapable of understanding his strategy for questioning a claim that LAWYER Kevin Zeese, co-director of Popular Resistance and clearly no tool of the establishment, dismissed as too silly to waste his time arguing over. Moreover, John Rachel’s own RAP colleague Victor Tiffany (the co-creator with me of the Bernie or Bust pledge, admitted on being pressed… Read more »
It’s unclear what deceptions Mr. Walker refers to, or what would be achieved by deceiving the public. The CFAR is about introducing honesty and integrity into the national conversation, not their opposites. Perhaps it’s easy for someone of Mr. Walker’s noteworthy accomplishments to underestimate the intelligence and reading comprehension of those here at The Greanville Post. I invite all who are confused by his remarks, or simply interested in a radical proposal addressing the electoral process, to read the language of the CFAR — which is why links are provided. If anyone detects any signs of a hidden agenda or… Read more »
I’m hardly underestimating the intelligence and reading comprehension of readers at The Greanville Post; I’m RELYING ON them. And otherwise, you’re making my case for me. If we aim to introduce honesty and integrity into the national conversation, the very last thing we wish to do is to start by lying to them. You know, as I do, that long-settled law, on MANY different weighty grounds, stands against treating campaign promises as legally binding. As far as I see, from the legally binding standpoint, you’ve made one small improvement to the legal status of campaign promises: you’ve put them in… Read more »
It’s apparently easy to twist the whole intent and methodology of the CFAR, or make it something far more complicated than it really is. My suggestion is just to visualize two candidates. I won’t identify them by party or ideology or political camp. Labels need not come into play here, in fact it’s better to avoid them. Candidate A says a lot of wonderful things. He or she voices support for poor people, old people, peace, etc. But checking the voting record raises questions and casts some of what’s said into a gray area of doubt. You really want to… Read more »
Everyone should notice one thing: how you claim honesty and transparency, while making a dishonest claim and dodging the question when anyone presents compelling evidence of its dishonesty. This comment itself shows your profound dishonesty–perhaps not general, but certain where your pet idea of candidate contracts is concerned. I’ve raised a simple FACTUAL objection to your claim–right in the text of the CFAR “contract” itself–that the agreement is legally binding. You REFUSE to address that objection–pretty obviously, because you CAN’T–by throwing fairy dust in readers’ eyes concerning the value of your litmus test strategy, which is NOT the point that… Read more »
A further point: even the dilemma of choosing Candidate A or Candidate B is NOT as clear and simple as you make it. An astute, well-informed voter would see objections to BOTH candidates: to Candidate A based on his/her voting record, and to Candidate B based on the blatant FALSE claim of having signed a legally-binding contract. A well-informed voter would conclude from that false claim that Candidate B is either outright dishonest or woefully ill-informed about the law and the nature of the office he/she is seeking. Any candidate for U.S. Congress should know about such HIGHLY pertinent matters… Read more »