Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has just announced as of February, 13th, 2018 she will no longer take PAC money. Here's Gillibrand's statement she made via Twitter:
I will no longer accept donations from corporate PACs, and I wanted to share why I’ve made that decision. I hope you’ll join me in doing everything we can to fight to reform our broken campaign finance system. pic.twitter.com/v2oWvEiUCe
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) February 13, 2018
Gillibrand went on to say:
“We won't be able to bring down Medicare drug prices, stop companies from outsourcing our jobs or start to rebuild the middle class until we can stem the unlimited influence special interest money applies over politicians.”
Along with cosponsoring Sanders’ Medicare For All Bill in the Upper Chamber, she’s currently at number five as the most progressive senator
There was absolutely a time when Gillibrand, a blue dog democrat during her time in the House of Representatives had an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association. She was also not great regarding immigration. A piece from The Atlantic outlines how she shifted once she became a senator,
“Once the proud owner of an A rating from the National Rifle Association, Gillibrand watched her grade plummet to an F after she was appointed to the Senate and began supporting bills to curb gun trafficking. She has shifted her stance, too, on immigration, moving away from the hard-line positions she adopted as a member of the House of the Representatives.”
There’s no question she has a centrist background. Clearly, she has taken a lot of cash from PACs before. According to Roll Call,
“PACs have amounted to about 15 percent of donations over her career in the House and Senate, according to data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. A majority of that political money, 65 percent, has come from business PACs. Labor PACs represented about 14 percent of Gillibrand's PAC dollars, while ideological or single-issue PACs amounted to more than 20 percent, the center’s data showed. She did not say that she would return past donations from corporate PACs.”
So with this announcement, and as more elected officials seem to be taking on a…BERNIE SANDERS stance, even if it’s one issue or position at a time, the question remains for the left/progressive wing of the Democratic Party & left-leaning independents:
Do we forgive? Do we trust?
In my view, the answer is a cautious YES. After all, isn’t the goal of calling one’s representatives, organizing, activism to change the positions of elected officials? Last time I checked, it was. So we can stay cynical at politicians like Gillibrand or be glad they are moving in the right, progressive direction. That means PRESSURE ACTUALLY WORKS.
And, hey! If they go back on their promises- we will give ‘em hell. And that includes Senator Gillibrand.