The logo for the ACLU's "Rights for All" Campaign. (Photo: Screenshot, ACLU YouTube)
Apr 01, 2019
The ACLU is putting $30 million into the 2020 election cycle to promote a vision of civil liberties that will require candidates running for president to support four broad planks in order to receive the organization's support.
The civil liberties group is pushing candidates on a campaign called "Rights for All," which focuses on reproductive freedom, voting rights, criminal justice reform, and immigrant justice, it announced Sunday evening in an event livestreamed on YouTube.
The organization said in a statement announcing the initiative that the quartet of polices was the "minimum" commitment the group was asking candidates to commit to.
\u201cHelp us put candidates on notice as early as possible.\n\nThis year we're voting FOR:\n\u2713 Voting rights\n\u2713 Abortion access\n\u2713 Immigrants' rights\n\u2713 Ending mass incarceration\n\nThe campaign is starting right now, right here: https://t.co/VpFI8lcIwi\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1554066396
"We don't want the default positions that are in the party platform," Ronald Newman, the ACLU's interim national political director, toldHuffPost. "We're trying to advance civil liberties here."
The group is backing that initiative up with cash.
"Between now and November 2020, the ACLU will spend $28-30 million engaging candidates and voters in our Rights for All effort," the organization said in a statement.
But, as HuffPost reported, not all of the policy proposals from the organization are guaranteed to meet with approval from Democrats running for the party's nomination to take on incumbent President Donald Trump.
In particular, a call to "cut incarceration by 50 percent in federal prisons, and everywhere in the country" seems destined to meet with resistance from the party. And thus far it's been difficult to find Democrats willing to commit to restoring voting rights to all felons, even those behind bars.
It's also unlikely that the group will get any response from the president, though the organization did say in its statement that it would like to hear from Trump: "Keeping with our nonpartisan principles, we'll question presidential candidates on both--and neither--side of the aisle, including, if given the opportunity, President Trump."
Either way, the ACLU has its mandate and appears prepared to fight for it.
"We're going all in to make sure civil rights and civil liberties are front and center in this election," the organization said on social media.
\u201cWe\u2019re going all in to make sure civil rights and civil liberties are front and center in this election.\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1554066824
It's a commitment that--with $30 million behind it--appears sure to make waves in the next election.
Watch the campaign kickoff:
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The ACLU is putting $30 million into the 2020 election cycle to promote a vision of civil liberties that will require candidates running for president to support four broad planks in order to receive the organization's support.
The civil liberties group is pushing candidates on a campaign called "Rights for All," which focuses on reproductive freedom, voting rights, criminal justice reform, and immigrant justice, it announced Sunday evening in an event livestreamed on YouTube.
The organization said in a statement announcing the initiative that the quartet of polices was the "minimum" commitment the group was asking candidates to commit to.
\u201cHelp us put candidates on notice as early as possible.\n\nThis year we're voting FOR:\n\u2713 Voting rights\n\u2713 Abortion access\n\u2713 Immigrants' rights\n\u2713 Ending mass incarceration\n\nThe campaign is starting right now, right here: https://t.co/VpFI8lcIwi\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1554066396
"We don't want the default positions that are in the party platform," Ronald Newman, the ACLU's interim national political director, toldHuffPost. "We're trying to advance civil liberties here."
The group is backing that initiative up with cash.
"Between now and November 2020, the ACLU will spend $28-30 million engaging candidates and voters in our Rights for All effort," the organization said in a statement.
But, as HuffPost reported, not all of the policy proposals from the organization are guaranteed to meet with approval from Democrats running for the party's nomination to take on incumbent President Donald Trump.
In particular, a call to "cut incarceration by 50 percent in federal prisons, and everywhere in the country" seems destined to meet with resistance from the party. And thus far it's been difficult to find Democrats willing to commit to restoring voting rights to all felons, even those behind bars.
It's also unlikely that the group will get any response from the president, though the organization did say in its statement that it would like to hear from Trump: "Keeping with our nonpartisan principles, we'll question presidential candidates on both--and neither--side of the aisle, including, if given the opportunity, President Trump."
Either way, the ACLU has its mandate and appears prepared to fight for it.
"We're going all in to make sure civil rights and civil liberties are front and center in this election," the organization said on social media.
\u201cWe\u2019re going all in to make sure civil rights and civil liberties are front and center in this election.\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1554066824
It's a commitment that--with $30 million behind it--appears sure to make waves in the next election.
Watch the campaign kickoff:
The ACLU is putting $30 million into the 2020 election cycle to promote a vision of civil liberties that will require candidates running for president to support four broad planks in order to receive the organization's support.
The civil liberties group is pushing candidates on a campaign called "Rights for All," which focuses on reproductive freedom, voting rights, criminal justice reform, and immigrant justice, it announced Sunday evening in an event livestreamed on YouTube.
The organization said in a statement announcing the initiative that the quartet of polices was the "minimum" commitment the group was asking candidates to commit to.
\u201cHelp us put candidates on notice as early as possible.\n\nThis year we're voting FOR:\n\u2713 Voting rights\n\u2713 Abortion access\n\u2713 Immigrants' rights\n\u2713 Ending mass incarceration\n\nThe campaign is starting right now, right here: https://t.co/VpFI8lcIwi\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1554066396
"We don't want the default positions that are in the party platform," Ronald Newman, the ACLU's interim national political director, toldHuffPost. "We're trying to advance civil liberties here."
The group is backing that initiative up with cash.
"Between now and November 2020, the ACLU will spend $28-30 million engaging candidates and voters in our Rights for All effort," the organization said in a statement.
But, as HuffPost reported, not all of the policy proposals from the organization are guaranteed to meet with approval from Democrats running for the party's nomination to take on incumbent President Donald Trump.
In particular, a call to "cut incarceration by 50 percent in federal prisons, and everywhere in the country" seems destined to meet with resistance from the party. And thus far it's been difficult to find Democrats willing to commit to restoring voting rights to all felons, even those behind bars.
It's also unlikely that the group will get any response from the president, though the organization did say in its statement that it would like to hear from Trump: "Keeping with our nonpartisan principles, we'll question presidential candidates on both--and neither--side of the aisle, including, if given the opportunity, President Trump."
Either way, the ACLU has its mandate and appears prepared to fight for it.
"We're going all in to make sure civil rights and civil liberties are front and center in this election," the organization said on social media.
\u201cWe\u2019re going all in to make sure civil rights and civil liberties are front and center in this election.\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1554066824
It's a commitment that--with $30 million behind it--appears sure to make waves in the next election.
Watch the campaign kickoff:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.