Defend DC (from Jason Chaffetz)
Donación protegida
Jason Chaffetz, the Republican representing Utah's 3rd congressional district, has spent the last 8 years restricting the freedoms of Americans living in Washington, DC. From gun laws to women's health, medical care to marijuana regulation, he has regularly interfered with:
(i) the legislation passed by our City Council,
(ii) the ballot measures passed in our elections, and
(iii) our city officials' ability to execute the will of the people.
This is not federal politics -- this is local politics -- and we did not elect him.
Here is a photo of Jason Chaffetz:
If you asked him about this, he might say : "It’s our nation’s capital and the Constitution deals with it in a unique way." And on that narrow point, he would be right.
The so-called "District Clause" of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 ) grants Congress the power to "exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever" concerning Washington, DC.
But what Rep. Chaffetz does not say is that the Constitution does not require Congress to exercise this power -- and it certainly doesn't require Congress to exercise this power in a manner hostile to a vocal majority of the people subject to it. In fact, Jason Chaffetz could choose to focus on his job as a federal legislator without meddling in our lives at all!
But he doesn't. He chooses to abuse this power. He chooses to fight our Mayor and City Council on local actions and legislative priorities. He makes the same choice year after year after year after year.
There are ongoing efforts to address the injustices committed by lawmakers under the authority of the District Clause and we fully support them. But that is not what this is about. This is about what happens in the meantime. This is about one man who still has the power to choose differently.
OUR MISSION is to run an advertising campaign in Utah's 3rd district in a direct appeal to the voters who send Rep. Chaffetz to Congress. While we have run out of patience for his interference, we do have faith that our fellow Americans, even those 2000+ miles away, are sympathetic to our plea for self-governance. That is the hope driving this campaign -- that, despite the toxicity of our politics, reasonable people remain committed to treating each other with respect.
So what happens next?
1) We raise money. Every dollar contributed to this campaign will be accounted for. All invoices will be posted publicly. In the unexpected event that there is money left over, it will be donated to Bread for the City , a local community organization.
2) We buy ads. Our best recourse against Jason Chaffetz is to target the source of his authority, his voters. Online advertising is the easiest way for us to communicate with them. Our initial ads will read:
"WE DID NOT ELECT JASON CHAFFETZ, BUT HE IS TRYING TO WRITE OUR LAWS. Brought to you by the 650,000+ ordinary Americans living in Washington, DC."
We're currently building a website that will serve as the destination for these ads.
3) We follow up. Online ads are the first step. Once the campaign is live, we will pursue media coverage in Utah's 3rd district to amplify our message.
4) We expand. Jason Chaffetz is not the only politician abusing the authority of the District Clause...Paul Ryan (R-WI 1st District), Andy Harris (R-MD 1st District), Christopher Smith (R-NJ 4th District)...the list goes on.
*
SOME PARTING THOUGHTS: there are almost certainly Utahns who agree with Rep. Chaffetz and support his interference in our lives. But we're confident that there are many Utahns who just don't know what he's doing in their name, and wouldn't like it if they did. That is our goal -- connecting with those people and showing them that Washington, DC is not, in fact, a money-filled swamp. It is the home of more than half a million ordinary Americans who want nothing more than the right to control their local government.
*
Click on the "Updates" link underneath the cover photo for more information on Jason Chaffetz's history of interference in the lives of ordinary people in Washington, DC.
(i) the legislation passed by our City Council,
(ii) the ballot measures passed in our elections, and
(iii) our city officials' ability to execute the will of the people.
This is not federal politics -- this is local politics -- and we did not elect him.
Here is a photo of Jason Chaffetz:
If you asked him about this, he might say : "It’s our nation’s capital and the Constitution deals with it in a unique way." And on that narrow point, he would be right.
The so-called "District Clause" of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 ) grants Congress the power to "exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever" concerning Washington, DC.
But what Rep. Chaffetz does not say is that the Constitution does not require Congress to exercise this power -- and it certainly doesn't require Congress to exercise this power in a manner hostile to a vocal majority of the people subject to it. In fact, Jason Chaffetz could choose to focus on his job as a federal legislator without meddling in our lives at all!
But he doesn't. He chooses to abuse this power. He chooses to fight our Mayor and City Council on local actions and legislative priorities. He makes the same choice year after year after year after year.
There are ongoing efforts to address the injustices committed by lawmakers under the authority of the District Clause and we fully support them. But that is not what this is about. This is about what happens in the meantime. This is about one man who still has the power to choose differently.
OUR MISSION is to run an advertising campaign in Utah's 3rd district in a direct appeal to the voters who send Rep. Chaffetz to Congress. While we have run out of patience for his interference, we do have faith that our fellow Americans, even those 2000+ miles away, are sympathetic to our plea for self-governance. That is the hope driving this campaign -- that, despite the toxicity of our politics, reasonable people remain committed to treating each other with respect.
So what happens next?
1) We raise money. Every dollar contributed to this campaign will be accounted for. All invoices will be posted publicly. In the unexpected event that there is money left over, it will be donated to Bread for the City , a local community organization.
2) We buy ads. Our best recourse against Jason Chaffetz is to target the source of his authority, his voters. Online advertising is the easiest way for us to communicate with them. Our initial ads will read:
"WE DID NOT ELECT JASON CHAFFETZ, BUT HE IS TRYING TO WRITE OUR LAWS. Brought to you by the 650,000+ ordinary Americans living in Washington, DC."
We're currently building a website that will serve as the destination for these ads.
3) We follow up. Online ads are the first step. Once the campaign is live, we will pursue media coverage in Utah's 3rd district to amplify our message.
4) We expand. Jason Chaffetz is not the only politician abusing the authority of the District Clause...Paul Ryan (R-WI 1st District), Andy Harris (R-MD 1st District), Christopher Smith (R-NJ 4th District)...the list goes on.
*
SOME PARTING THOUGHTS: there are almost certainly Utahns who agree with Rep. Chaffetz and support his interference in our lives. But we're confident that there are many Utahns who just don't know what he's doing in their name, and wouldn't like it if they did. That is our goal -- connecting with those people and showing them that Washington, DC is not, in fact, a money-filled swamp. It is the home of more than half a million ordinary Americans who want nothing more than the right to control their local government.
*
Click on the "Updates" link underneath the cover photo for more information on Jason Chaffetz's history of interference in the lives of ordinary people in Washington, DC.
Organizador
Defend DC
Organizador
Washington D.C., DC
